Gurf Morlix

“The body count’s lower on this one,” Gurf Morlix quipped darkly a few months back when describing his just-finished follow-up to 2007’s outstanding, death-steeped Diamonds to Dust. And sure enough, apart from the victim in “One More Second” — a gripping crime-of-passion tale recounted in terrifying slow motion — and a pair of tributes to late friends (Blaze Foley on “Music You Mighta Made” and Ian McLagan’s wife, Kim, on “Voice of Midnight”), the living outnumber the dead on Last Exit to Happyland. But happy-go-lucky it’s not; Last Exit is even bleaker than its predecessor — and every bit as powerful. The aforementioned “One More Second” and “Voice of Midnight,” which open and close the disc, are the real highlights — each hitting the heart and gut from completely different angles. But there’s no shortage of other great moments here — from the spooky wailing of Ruthie Foster throughout “Drums from New Orleans,” to the bittersweet, soaring chorus of “End of the Line.” Best of all, though, is Morlix’s wicked, razor-sharp wit, which hits the bull’s eye on the final line of “Crossroads”: “I know some people who sold their souls to the devil/and they don’t sound nothin’ like Robert Johnson.” On second thought, better change that body count to “off the charts.”