For Unarmed Against the Dark, their second album, N.Y.C."s Feathermerchants acquired not only a new vocalist -- Shannon Kennedy having replaced Alison Winston and Erin O"Hara -- but also a more American pop/rock style. Gone are the Irish and Middle Eastern influences; there"s barely a bouzouki to be heard here. The result is an album undeniably solid, with Kennedy"s quavering yet adamant voice lending the songs a sincere vitality. Like the equally under-the-radar Scoldees, the Feathermerchants" strength lie in their subtlety and near-familial sense of cooperation as musicians. No one player attempts to outshine another, which allows the songs to breathe and grow organically. Beyond Kennedy"s voice, the most interesting aspect to Unarmed Against the Dark is its droning drum sound, a thick texture that betrays the band"s background in TV composition work. And the most interesting song, oddly, is the one Kennedy doesn"t sing: guitarist Pete Veru more than ably takes the reins on his own composition, the swirling, cinematic "Farmers" Night Out." There aren"t any huge pop hooks on this record, only a faithful cover of the Psychedelic Furs" "Heartbreak Beat" sounding much like a radio single, but the intelligent lyrics and intricate deliveries make this one of the better unheralded AAA albums of 2003. ~ Joseph McCombs