Steve Wynn lacking ‘Aggression’

Steve Wynn, former leader of the 1980s band Dream Syndicate, has been making solo albums for quite some time now. Although “Northern Aggression” is not his most ambitious album by any means, it finds him reaching an impressive level of consistency.

Wynn’s music is an amalgam of post-punk and alternative music with the occasional Bob Dylan nasal voice thrown in. Wynn’s backing band, The Miracle 3, never show off, instead focusing on creating the perfect groove. The band even sounds a bit rootsy at times with some great slide guitar work.

Most of “Northern Aggression” has a dark, mellow feel, but it’s never depressing or boring. Its main problem is also its greatest strength: consistency. Wynn never sounds as if he’s trying something new, nor even working up a sweat. Two songs, “Consider the Source” and “The Death of Donny B” don’t have much distinguishing them from each other.

There are still some great moments on “Northern Aggression,” it’s just hard to tell them apart.