Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

Yeah, I know: terrible band name. But don't let a lousy handle prevent you from discovering Margot & the Nuclear So and So's. This Indianapolis-based outfit is typically lumped into the folk genre -- a classification that falls well short of describing the material on their latest disc, The Dust of Retreat. The CD showcases the work of singer-songwriter Richard Edwards, who's blessed with an everyman's voice and a fondness for tweaking expectations. "Skeleton Key," during which he admits, in the tenderest possible voice, that he did "a sick, sick thing to my love" is a case in point. As a bonus, the songs are given full-bodied treatments by the So and So's, who supplement the usual bass-guitar-drums configuration with percussion, keyboards, cello and trumpet. These elements combine to create a multi-layered sound that can't truly be appreciated after a single listen. Edwards and company, who join All Day Suckers, Separate Cars, the Agency, Machine Gun Blues, the Tarmints, Big Timber, the Milkshakes and Grease Machine at the Lounge, are clearly a lot better at making music than choosing monikers.