by Jason Ankeny
AMC's sophomore release marks a significant advancement over The Restless Stranger, and offers more than a few of the band's definitive moments. Much of the due credit goes to producer Tom Mallon, who arranges the record with an intuitive grasp of the anatomical make-up of Mark Eitzel's burgeoning songcraft; the rest of the credit belongs to Eitzel himself, who offers up some of his first truly great compositions. Chief among them is &Outside This Bar,& a chilling portrait of the hermetically-sealed comforts of the drinking life.