***1/2 Jeremy Enigr

RETURN OF THE FROG QUEEN

(Sub Pop)

On this solo debut, former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk displays an immediate, hallucinating sense of religion. Gone are Sunny Day's twists of Seattle avant-grunge: Return of the Frog Queen is a collection of orchestrated pieces peppered by woodwinds, light brass, and acoustics. The title track is a frightening, dreamy, Beatle-esque composition toned by Enigk's haunting, synthesized vocals. A gliding harpsichord floats through "Explain," and on "Shade and the Black Hat" a thundering arrangement of violin and piano marks Enigk's most startling revelations. The opening "Abigail Anne" is a dreamscape of acoustics. Enigk's strained call of "Wait for . . . wait for me" fades to the end, draped with heartache and hope. Abstract as it is, Return of the Frog Queen is confrontational and abrupt, with sounds originating from Enigk's own soul rather than Sub Pop's famous hometown.

-- Jonathan Vena

(Jeremy Enigk opens for Soul Coughing at the Paradise this Wednesday, October 16, with a 16-piece band.)