When this album was initially released in 1995, it was met with some skepticism; after all, the idea of an indie rocker (Rodan's Jason Noble) getting together with some classically trained pals (violist Christian Frederickson and pianist Rachel Grimes, another former rocker) and putting out an album of original classical compositions sounded like a bit of a stretch. It was--but not for the band. Recorded over the space of a few years with help from members of Shellac, the Cocktails, and various symphony orchestras, Handwriting is a remarkably cohesive, listenable, and interesting album--and if that sounds like anything short of a rave, it shouldn't. --Randy Silver