In truth, I'm not sure what to make of Sky Motel. "Disjointed" is the adjective that continues to come to mind. At times, I thought I was listening to outtakes from Throwing Muses' Limbo, other times, a forgotten track from last year's solo record, Strange Angels, or even attempts at REM's recent sonic explorations. What was also familiar are the characteristically disarming lyrics: either potently direct ("This is no time to fuck up") or eerie and twisted ("I was born in America, with the fists of a saint").

Without trying to compartmentalize her career, Kristin certainly seemed to distinguish between songs she wrote for her band and songs written for her to perform solo. The trappings of both are apparent here with not unexpectedly mixed results. The single "Echo" and the hypnotic "Husk" are standouts. Too much fiddling with the instruments around the studio mar other tracks like "San Francisco." Since Dave Narcizo appears on a few tracks and is her touring drummer, I'd have preferred if Kristin had gone the whole way and given us the eighth studio Muses record.