is Name Is Alive’s Warn Defever has always had a knack for defying expectations, always taking his band in utterly surprising directions just when his fans were least prepared for it. But of all the various U-turns in his eclectic career, none was more drastic than 2001’s Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth, an album of minimal, almost entirely electronic R&B featuring just Defever and vocalist Lovetta Pippen. It was a gutsy move, but it was largely overlooked and slighted by both critics and longtime fans; the new sound even alienated the group’s label, 4AD, which is probably the reason why Last Night is slated to be Defever’s last record for the imprint.


What’s gotten lost in the shuffle, though, is just how beautiful the last two HNIA albums have actually been. Someday, with its low-key melancholy and stark arrangements, was the perfect late-night record, and its follow-up Last Night seems to score the party that could have come before that late-night blues session. It’s ironic that Last Night -- which was recorded during the rehearsals for a proposed tour in support of Someday -- would have been a much more acceptable record for both 4AD and His Name Is Alive’s fans. This album is a slight return to the more acoustic, full band sound of Defever’s earlier, much-loved records, although the bluesy style of Someday is retained to some degree.


Tellingly, Last Night sheds the single mood of sadness which dominated its predecessor; the production here is as bright and airy as that heard on innocent summertime records like 1994’s Stars on ESP. In particular, this record is driven by a bouncy, funky guitar sound that glides through almost all of these tracks. Last Night is also noteworthy for being a return to the eclectic genre-switching of old, when Defever couldn’t seem to keep his mind on one style for the length of a full song.


The title track’s extended jam gives way to the low-key blues of “Crawling,” which recalls Someday with Pippen’s soulful crooning. The album also has room for the jazzy, 11-minute “Someday My Prince Will Come,” channeling Afrobeat with pitter-patter rhythms and upbeat horns. Many other songs, particularly the lengthy lament “Train” and the R&B pop nugget “I Can See Myself in Her,” preserve the essential sound of Someday, but with more live instrumentation and a less overt attempt to mimic mainstream R&B production.


Although comparisons to Someday are almost inevitable considering the circumstances of its recording and release, Last Night is truly its own album. Synthesizing the R&B influences of Someday with Defever’s indie rock past and a totally new emphasis on live jams, this record suggests that Someday was only a temporary genre diversion in the HNIA universe. With his R&B and jazz tendencies now assimilated with other eclectic influences, Defever has moved on with an even broader palette of sounds to choose from than ever before. As a result, Last Night sacrifices the unified statement of Someday for a more varied, deliriously fun lack of coherency. Not necessarily better or worse than what came before it, this is merely another solid addition to the ever-growing, ever unpredictable HNIA discography.