A collection of tuneful, warm, rockin' and sometimes downright weird songs guaranteed to thrill and perplex you all at once, Times Like This is LP number two from Slim Dunlap -- mainstay of the Minneapolis music scene since the beginning of time and, of course, lead guitarist for The Replacements 1987-91.

The Slim Dunlap Band formed in the summer of 1993 and remains constant to this day: a traditional two-guitars-bass-and-drums outfit with more potential angles up their sleeves than most normal humans can comprehend. (They've GOT to be flexible, 'cause you just never know what their fearless leader's gonna call for!) Johnny Hazlett covers the bass, Jim Thompson the second geetar plus some singing, and Brien Lilja plays the drums. Elsewhere on the record, former 'Mats bandmate Paul Westerberg plays pianos (yes, that's PIANOS, plural) on the track "Nowheres Near."

Containing more heart than all records released since 1985 combined, Times Like This follows Slim's solo debut The Old New Me by tipping the tables upside down and then going slightly sideways. The overall thickly layered sound of the record can boggle the mind; it's almost as if Slim heard things in his head and then wrote songs around them. The songs' topics range from strange cosmetics to touches of nostalgia and regret, from dangerous mammals to gutwrenching, pure-and-simple romance.

Never one to repeat himself, Slim Dunlap has delivered a record that is the essence of what rock 'n' roll has always been about: No Rules Apply.