Shooting Stars

Rumbling up from music's underappreciated nether regions comes Morphine, a new, guitarless twist on the old power trio: sax, slide bass, drums. "All the instruments are in the baritone range, which seems to be where we're happiest," says Mark Sandman, singer and bassist for the Boston-based "low"-rockers. "We're just working that low-D area, basically. Burrowing in." Between 1992's critically acclaimed independent CD, Good, and the oddly compelling, compellingly odd Cure for Pain (Rykodisc, just out), Morphine is clearly the energized late-night lounge act of the moment, seducing listeners with its uncluttered "implied grunge." Sandman recently added a string to his single-string bass ("Now I can get power chords if I want them"), but the minimalist philosophy remains. "Hone it down to just what you need, put the words up front, try to bring some heart to it," he says. "And we're very portable—We can play in your bedroom or your amphitheater."

G.K.