No one ever accused Mary Timony of stagnancy. After making a name for herself fronting the legendary Boston indie-rock band Helium, Timony disappointed many of her fans with her fanciful, stripped down solo albums, Mountains and the slightly uneven The Golden Dove. Those albums abandoned the angular rock of her heyday, opting for a more mythical, almost medieval sound; she sang of forest creatures and bizarre animal imagery. Fortunately, that's not the case on Ex Hex; this time out, Timony has teamed up with Devin Ocampo (the astounding drummer from The Medications), and the two of them have churned out a unique indie-prog masterpiece that owes as much to Hendrix as it does to Sonic Youth.

Timony is one of those singers who seems to have worked her way to the top of the indie rock heap through sheer creativity and tenacity. Her vocal gifts are meager; she sings with an unmistakable urgency, but her pipes wouldn't get her past the first round of American Idol. However, like all great rock vocalists, she wins us over with style, not talent. In "On the Floor", when she sings, "I had to carry my suitcase over you / as you lay in your manger there / passed out in a pool of drool and despair," her voice sounds deep and sloppy. Still, the words are so venomous, and her delivery has so much conviction, that it packs a surprising wallop.

While lyrical barbs like that one fill Ex Hex's corners, the album's real focus is more of a musical endeavor. Timony's songs, fleshed out with guitar and organ, are actually surprising forays into prog rock territory. "Backwards/Forwards"'s churning guitar line sounds like something from Hendrix's Axis Bold as Love, and with Ocampo's creative drum work, the duo ride the riff into psychedelic oblivion, resting only during the few brief verses. It's bold and unusual, but they pull it off. Two piece bands have had luck pulling off the dramatic and cinematic before (See Fiery Furnaces), but it's no less impressive when Timony and Ocampo do it here. "In the Grass" is a mellower version of the same song, with plenty of space for Timony's unmistakable voice to work. There are traces of Mountains in the piano parts and the vocal melody's European folk stylings, but true to the rest of Ex Hex, it finds its way back to a triumphant musical coda.

Mary Timony is a true American gem, a unique songwriting voice who seems to have no point of reference in the current musical canon. She writes and performs these songs as if she hasn't heard anyone else's songs in the last decade, boldy forging her voice and guitar into a singular musical force that should not work, but does. It's marvelous and highly recommended.