Mary Timony's first two solo albums,
Mountains and
The Golden Dove, had a mystical, fairy-folk bent that was intriguing (and also presaged the popularity of similarly inspired acts like
Faun Fables,
Joanna Newsom, and
White Magic) but also puzzling to fans of her work with
Helium and
Autoclave. After moving house, both personally (back to her old haunt, Washington, D.C.) and musically (to Lookout! Records), she returns with
Ex Hex, a more straightforward but still delicate collection of songs that sound like exorcisms of past situations and relationships. Even though the album is on a label usually associated with punk and shows off
Timony's impressive electric guitar skills, it's not as much of a return to rock as might be expected. To be sure, "On the Floor" -- a great kiss-off to a lazy (soon to be ex-) boyfriend -- and "Friend to JC" kick-start
Ex Hex with a one-two rock punch, but the dark, electric piano-driven "Silence" is nearly as winding and expansive as anything that appeared on
Timony's first two solo albums. Whether she surrounds her voice and melodies with guitar, bass, and drums or more exotic instruments, her approach is still distinctive (and remarkably consistent over her career): "W.O.W." and "Harmony" glide along on the hypnotic, vaguely Eastern-sounding guitar work that has become one of
Timony's trademark sounds, while "In the Grass"'s drum machines and layers of acoustic and electric piano recall
Magic City's mix of hard-hitting rock and ethereal keyboards. And, as always, her lyrics are formidable: lines like "Return to Pirates"' "You are the universal hate within us all" serve as reminders that it's probably not a good idea to get on
Timony's bad side. More often than on some of her recent work,
Ex Hex's music matches
Timony's barbed words. "9x3" is a fast punchy song that could be about the mean girls in high school (or after graduation, for that matter). "Hard Times Are Hard!" and "Backwards/Forwards" are some of the most straightforward rock songs
Timony has ever written, though they're far from predictable.
Ex Hex can't really be called a return to form because
Timony never lost it in the first place, but it's probably the most immediately appealing album in her solo career for
Helium fans who missed that band's bite on her other albums.