Shudder To Think /50,000 B.C. by Sean Cameron Sony Music Entertainment The title of the latest Shudder To Think opus, 50,000 B.C., implies a huge step backwards. Not in terms of quality, mind you, but as a distancing measure from a body of work which had grown increasingly dark in tone and epic in structure. From their inception as Dischord label poster boys to their major label leap in 1993, each subsequent album became a more twisted and complex odyssey into the netherregions of the psycho-sexual subconscious, culminating with 1994's masterful Pony Express Record. By comparison, 50,000 B.C. is a playful springtime jaunt. All this seems a bit off, especially considering singer Craig Wedren's recent battle with Hodgkin's disease. Common sense would deem that the most harrowing journey was yet to come. But Shudder collectively decided to embrace lighter themes, playing what Wedren describes as "the music that's making us feel beautiful." The album even comes wrapped in a shocking pink cover, a sharp contrast to the mysterious imagery which adorned prior works. The accompanying music, however, is pure Shudder To Think, replete with jagged rhythms, weird chords, poetic lyrics, and Wedren's unmistakable sexy and soaring falsetto croon. The album opens with Wedren's slinky whisper "Oooo" and the hammer drop of Nathan Larson's guitar, pretty much the same as it ever was. What's different is the subject matter, still permeated with soulsucking sexuality but shot through with a hearty dose of love. So we get the umpteenth recorded version of Shudder's addiction rumination "Red House" paired with the tightly wound pop of "Beauty Strike." Most surprising of all is the lofty balladry of "All Eyes Are Different," which combines the shimmering guitar lines of Pony's "No Rm 9, Kentucky" with gorgeously smitten lyrics worthy of Smokey Robinson. For such a huge transition album, 50,000 B.C. is surprisingly short on bad spots. However (saw this coming a mile away, didn't you?), there are a few horribly cheezy moments. Most notable is "Hop On One Foot," a preemptive strike on the inevitable detractors of their new style. They should have had enough self-confidence to excuse the believers from such self-absorbed tripe. And while Wedren's lyrics have always been notoriously off-kilter, they don't quite fit the newfangled themes. Lines like "Naughty-naughty-naughty / can't steer / so sexy / in a war" just won't cut it in a love-type song. Don't be scared off, now -- it's a kinder, but not gentler Shudder To Think. They were always sultry and sexy, and now they're a little more creamy. It's Shudder smoothed out on the metal blade tip with a pop feel, appeal, to it. And I'll gladly saddle up to the New Dark Age with that.

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