On Ten Years After, his first album of all-new material since 1989, he's opted for a more guitar-heavy, less textured sound, but not much else would sound out of place on his first record -- he's still fashioning tuneful, three- and four-minute pop songs with layered guitars, a tough backbeat, and a melancholy edge. The problem here is that this is not a particularly distinguished batch of songs. Which means Keene devotees will have no complaints, but there's nothing to convince others that he's a neglected genius rather than a skilled journeyman.

-- Chris Erikson