by Thom Jurek This two-CD collection includes both volumes of Bill Nelson's Whimsey project. What separates Whimsey, parts one and two, from his boatload of other homemade studio projects? This is not another odds and ends collection, but a construction of song-oriented material with lyrics, dreamy atmospheres, and killer guitar sonics. Right: this is Nelson's first really song-oriented project since 1992's Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars. There were songs on other albums, but the pair packaged here are structured albums of songs, as opposed to studio experiments. Tracks such as "Slumberlife," or "Switch Off That Desert Sunset," or "The Fundamental Blues" from Whimsey come off as being close in spirit to Be Bop Deluxe, rather than to any of his other solo material. The big surprise is that on Whimsey, Part Two, tracks such as the opener "Showtime," "When We Were Young," and "The Fabulous Fountain of Your Savoir Faire" are all songs written in an entirely new direction. In architecture, David Bowie could have learned loads from Nelson about how electronics, ballsy guitars, and looped beats work in composition forms. These are tight, smart, and elegant songs, all of them short, slightly lopsided, and always quirky and off the beaten path, offering Nelson' fans something to really celebrate; and for those just coming to his solo work, this is a fantastic place to start.