American Lesion: American Lesion

It makes sense for venerable Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin to embark upon a solo side project, especially one that's as dramatic a musical departure as his one-man band American Lesion. While Graffin gives his alter ego and his album a tough, punk-rock name, American Lesion is strictly an acoustic, singer/songwriter sort of affair, with a piano serving as the primary instrument. That's a refreshing break from the monotony of the last few Bad Religion records, which have come off as little more than strings of slight variations on a single, three-minute punk-rock blueprint: Each of those songs had guitars blaring as Graffin blurted out wordy lyrics about prototypical punk subject matter like independence and alienation. Of course, he'll likely revert to that safe approach when Bad Religion's next record comes out in 1998, but in the meantime, American Lesion is an admirable experiment, albeit one that usually fails. The problem mostly revolves around Graffin's vocals, which have never been dynamic: His lyrics are a bit more personal this time around, but "In The Mirror" could easily be mistaken for Bad Religion Unplugged, and flat line-readings deflate songs like "When I Fail." You have to respect Graffin for taking risks with American Lesion, especially when you figure that his hardcore fans aren't likely to embrace a collection of acoustic ballads. But just because you respect him doesn't mean you have to buy everything he releases.