Twenty years after these alt-country progenitors released their first lp, they returned for The Modern Sounds of the Knitters. The round, reverbed sound the group showcased on Poor Little Critter in the Road hasn’t changed a bit. The voices of John Doe and Exene Cervenka remain amorously entwined in sour harmony, while Dave Alvin is still spitting lightning rod licks from his trusty Fender. With Johnny Ray Bartel’s deep upright bass and D.J. Bonebrakes crankshaft snare drum rounding out the original lineup, the Knitters pounce on this material like it was all new to them. The album follows the same design as Critter, as it gives a couple of X nuggets the twang treatment (“In This House of Home,” and “Burning House of Love,” which should have been played this way to begin with), puts the edge to some traditional tunes (“Rank Stranger,” “Little Margaret,”), and turns in a few beautifully-crafted songs in the country tradition (“Try Anymore” and “Skin Deep Town”). The Knitters’ recipe was special from the beginning, but this delayed second outing proves how timeless this one-off project among five friends turned out to be.