Wait for It -- well, we have. Pere Ubu's original guitarist/bassist keeps a very low profile. Released under his own name (not a habit for Herman, usually hard to locate on other people's recordings), this album came out in only 2,000 copies on Return to Sender, a subsidiary of the German label Normal. Do not mind the wait and the difficulties in locating a copy, Wait for It is worth both. It is a dirty slab of warped rock, drawing elements from drunken blues, indie folk, new wave/no wave (in the angular basslines and rhythm guitar) and avant rock. Old fans of the mighty Pere Ubu will be able to observe that, if David Thomas' presence dominated the group's sound, musicians like Tom Herman still had a strong influence on its subtleties and overall drive. In pure Return to Sender fashion, this album is a personal affair, Herman handling all duties, from songwriting to singing and playing all instruments (guitars, basses, keyboards, drums, and miscellaneous). The only significant outside help comes from drummer Steve Mehlman (on the two hardest-hitting tracks) and Len Bove (singing lead on Veil of Separation, one of the most Ubu-esque songs). Drums on the opening track, 300 Years, sound stiff enough to be programmed, which weighs down this otherwise finely penned anthem. Elsewhere they sound more natural, but still quite square. Luckily, Herman makes up for that in thunderous bass riffs (distortion is more than an effect here; it provides the album's signature sound) and often-awkward guitar playing (is that a guitar, a harmonica, or fuzzed-up saxophone for the final solo in It's Not the Way It Seems?). Highlights include the straightforward Jack Something, Red Haired Girl (a representative balance between acidic folk-rock and avant rock touches), and It's Not the Way It Seems. The concluding rendition of Blind Lemon Jefferson's Jesus features interesting multi-tracked guitar work, but Herman's voice lacks the grittiness necessary to make the song moving -- a somewhat weak finale for an otherwise surprisingly surefooted album. ~ François Couture, Rovi

1		300 Years
2		Jack Something
3		I'm Drowning
4		Red Haired Girl
5		Your Street
6		Veil of Separation
7		Slim
8		Hey
9		I Do Now
10		It's Not the Way It Seems
11		When I'm Gone
12		Jesus

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