Public Library

Christian Century, June 14, 2005 by Louis R. Carlozo

Public Library, by Jonathan Rundman (Salt Lady Records). Alternative pop.

In 2000 this offbeat Lutheran rocker released the concept album to end them all--a lo-fi, 52-song double disc with each track tied to a week on the liturgical calendar. This follow-up disc features smart production and keen songwriting. On "Smart Girls" Rund-man pays tribute to intellectual women ("'Cause love is science, love is art"), while "Almost Never See" is a midnight-blue number wrapped in a haze of mandolin, fiddle and heavy percussion.