An accomplished guitarist is much like, for lack of a better simile, a superhero. With great power comes great responsibility and when guitar chops are used for evil, the results can be tedious, pretentious or just plain bad.

It is to Eric Kalenze's great credit, then, that his alter ego Gawker Slowdown keeps his fingers in check on Self Defense. The record is primarily a blues and folk record, but that description downplays its sharpness. Self Defense opens with the instrumental "Radiator," which dreamily sets up the breezy "Don't Be The One." Then comes the shuffle "Fossil History," easily the record's highlight. Kalenze shines here because his playing is not only fresh, but tightly wound. Despite a couple lyrical missteps – namely the trite "Nothing It Can't Do" – Kalenze writes succinct words for his equally succinct music.

How Kalenze gets away without sounding like a White Guy Playing The Blues will likely remain his secret, but it probably has something to do with simply being himself. There's no affected Southern accent, no 12-bar lament about his middle-class lifestyle, just these well-mannered, well-written songs recorded in his basement.

Self Defense will be released exclusively online in digital form ("except by extra special request," according to the Gawker Slowdown Web site), which is kind of a shame. An old, crackly record would serve these songs well, but what can you do? Some artists are before their time, and some are after. There's something to be said for the latter. DB

www.soundclick.com/gawkerslowdown