Album: South San Gabriel/Centro-matic, Dual Hawks (Cooking Vinyl)

Will Johnson is a man with an identity crisis. As if his last album, a concept record seen through the eyes of a cat named Carlton, wasn't confusing enough, he now can't decide if he wants to follow it up with a folky, acoustic South San Gabriel record, or a fuzzed-out rocker with his band Centro-matic.

So we get both and, sad to report, neither fully satisfies. If 'The Carlton Chronicles' represented a leap forward in terms of songwriting, 'Dual Hawks' takes a small step back and, while trying to keep a foot in both camps, Johnson merely ends up performing the splits.

Pick of the Album: 'Twenty-Four' is an honest-to-goodness rocker