On his sixth record, "The Far Now," the former frontman of New Zealand band the Clean proves he's been an undersung alt-pop songwriter. Kilgour mixes the sweet sadness of Neil Finn with the grudging prettiness of Paul Westerberg. Shambling lap steel completes the finely frayed sound.

"I change my mind every day about most things and this LP was certainly a result of that way of thinking." David Kilgour's been changing his mind for a long time, and who can argue with the results? His first band The Clean changed the face of rock music when they kick-started New Zealand's pop underground in the early 80s. His records ??? The Far Now is album number six ??? are monuments to good old-fashioned song craft tinged with a becoming modesty. If you hunger for gorgeous melodies that'll never make you sick, singing that puts across an emotion without hitting you over the head with it, and guitar playing whose effortless eloquence and virtuosity doesn't make you want to fine him for playing too many notes, Kilgour's your man. If you're looking for a man in single-minded pursuit of rock and roll success, well, that???s another story; he loves music, but he loves life more, and while that attitude hasn't put his face on too many billboards, it's probably got a lot to do with why he's still making records after 25 years.