When I suffered from depression, I alternated days lying on the floor in a pile of crumpled paper with days taking long walks along the crumbling waterfront. I felt so disengaged from everything around me. In all that time, I don’t think I looked anyone I met in the eye. Yet I wanted to connect with people rather desperately: I just didn’t seem to know how. Listening to Tin Fist by The Acorn took me back to that period–when people seemed as fearsome as pirates threatening my directionless little ship. I would probably have welcomed this album as solace back then; it is oddly hopeful, despite its vivid dissection of heartbreak and failing dreams. Recommended for those days when getting out of bed is an exercise in courage. (Karyn Bonham)
CD, www.paperbagrecords.com