On Loose Crochet, the Double unleashes a simple yet remarkable eight-song effort full of surprises and nuances. After the opening intensity of "Revel," the duo of drummer Jeff McLeod and guitarist David Greenhill turn to a softer approach on the delicate "Is There a Voice to Grace the Way Out? Hallelujah," a textured mini-epic. While both McLeod and Greenhill perform on vocals, Greenhill leads the way on most tracks. The loose, unstructured grace of songs like "I'm Bored, Tick Tock, the Second Hand's Dancing" and "Southern Born Sons I Imagine Alive for Real" highlights an unwillingness to adopt music conventions, as the band ventures out on a unique path instead. The band's common comparison to Two Dollar Guitar, while somewhat true, is limiting as well. Songs like "What Do I" and "Me" show a pair of musicians routinely changing gears and pushing the musical envelope from melodic conventions to varied, textured stops and starts. The disc ends with the bluesy "Swear," where Greenhill's vocals lead the way with multiple ranges and the instrumental approach rises, falls, and rises again. The disc might put listeners at ease, but the next burst of crunchy guitar rock is always around the corner. Loose Crochet is certainly an unconventional debut, but it hints at an undeniable experimentation that all great musicians embrace. Recorded with producer Dave Portner, 54 40 or Fight Records released Loose Crochet in 2001. ~ Stephen Cramer