TWO TON BOA

Those who purchased the soundtrack to the MTV-Movie-Awards-dominating film Cruel Intentions might have been impressed by “Comin’ Up from Behind,” a brilliant contribution from the previously unspectacular outfit Marcy Playground, although the liner notes reveal that the tune was actually penned by Two Ton Boa frontwoman Sherry Fraser. Her band’s mutant-jazz version, which is immeasurably enhanced by her commanding vocals, appears on its dazzling self-titled release. While wielding everything from a bass to a glockenspiel, Fraser ranges from cooing in a manner reminiscent of Portishead’s Beth Gibbons to starkly asserting herself with intense, intimidating force. When Fraser spits out the words But darling, you mistook me for a fool during the majestic nine-minute epic “Bleeding Heart,” the listener gets the impression that this is a grievous, and perhaps tragic, error in judgment.

Co-producers Fraser and Steven Drake offer several interesting twists, such as the intro to “Bleeding Heart,” which sounds as if it were sampled from a dusty ’30s record and the glowering industrial touches on several tracks that replace all traces of vulnerability with menace. Yet as dark as Two Ton Boa can become, the group is capable of ethereal beauty. Fraser’s voice shines against sparse accompaniment on “Puppet Charm,” while “Have Mercy,” with its tight harmonies and intricate added instrumentation from members of the group’s Olympia, Wash., neighbors The Need, provides a tension-releasing close to the album with its straightforward indie-pop approach. Fraser has years of classical training on the oboe, recorder, and French horn under her belt, and she uses this knowledge to inject unorthodox elements into her creations, giving them a refreshing sense of depth. Even in the hands of mediocre artists, the radiance of her compositions remains unclouded. When passionately performing her own material, Fraser approaches the summit of peaks previously scaled only by the incomparable PJ Harvey.