Village Gorilla Head

Tommy Stinson may have the best job in rock'n'roll. For the past seven years, the ex-Replacement has been playing bass for Guns N' Roses. That means he draws a nice paycheck to play a handful of shows a year and is on call for the rare occasions Axl gets his shit together to record. In other words, he has lots of time on his hands. Village Gorilla Head shows he hasn't been wasting it. Most of the tunes lean pretty hard on the late-period Replacements' model, with bratty rough-hewn rockers rubbing elbows with bruised and battered ballads. Flashes of Dylan-esque wordplay ("Bite Your Tongue") and Stonesy abandon ("Motivation") are less than shocking, but the title track's moody soul-noir vibe shows Stinson's capable of expanding his palette without losing the plot. We wouldn't recommend quitting that cushy day job, but hopefully it won't interfere with further creative pursuits.