If there was an album featuring Syd Barrett, John Lennon and Brian Eno making home recordings together it would no doubt be legendary. Of course, there is no such album. However, Chris Knox’s solo masterwork “Croaker” comes pretty close. Chris Knox, though a New Zealand legend, still remains relatively unknown. From his punk band Toy Love through to his concurrent career as a solo artist and member of Tall Dwarfs he has consistently created twisted melodic lo-fi gems. This album brings together all of his strengths in one cohesive album. Most of the songs are built up on homemade rhythm loops and staccato distorted guitar riffs layered with cheap keyboards and periodic strings. What sets this apart from many other lo-fi albums is his inventive melodies and arrangements. He doesn’t for a second let the limitations of his recording process constrain him. These aren’t one-offs or demos; they’re fully formed studio creations on a budget. Somehow this small album feels enourmous. The songs touch on politics, humanity, and druggy metaphysics, as well as a heavy vein of existential anxiety and doubt. Throughout there’s a heavy dose of black humour, too – from the nihilist behind the satire “Liberal Backlash Angst” who says “Fuck the 90s, stay inside and sleep ‘em through/Fuck the ozone, get some spray cans, sniff some glue/Fuck the forests, rip ‘em down and paint ‘em blue/Fuck the virus, take your condoms off and screw” to the protagonist in “Growth Spurt” who has a twin living inside her body surgically removed and then kills her in a fit of jealousy only to spend the rest of her life making dolls in the twin’s image. Several songs are concerned with the transience of life and the difficulty of finding real contentment. “Dunno Much About Life…But I Know How to Breathe” has the outsider wondering if he’s wrong and the world’s right, while “Meat” (“…is what we is…” says Knox) is explicitly existential with its anthemic refrains of: “We don’t have much time to say all the things we have to say/But still we pay mind to the flesh that’s destined for the clay/We don’t want to waste our time in case we’ve passed our peak and prime and now must fall into decay/So close your eyes and close your mind, pretend with me that we have climbed out of the shadow of the grave.” “Once When Alone” and “Lapse” both seem to hinge on a regret and the memory of a transcendental joy, as does “Light” which, as the other side of the “Meat” coin states “There’s nothing in this world but light, somewhere the sun shines through your night and you are part of humankind.” With song after song it’s hard to believe one man had this many incredible songs in him, let alone all on one album. Each song is strongly crafted, viscerally moving, with enough subtlety and nuance to reward reapeated listens. Not all of his albums are as successful throughout, but he is a major talent. It’s also worth noting that there’s a CD available with this album as well as its predecessor, “Seizure,” entitled “Meat.” The other half of Tall Dwarfs, Alec Bathgate, also has a solo album well worth checking out entitled “Gold Lame.” Tall Dwarfs themselves have tons of material worth looking into. If you’re a fan of underground psychedelia you owe it to yourself to check out Chris Knox.