Regrettably, with their final effort, San Francisco, American Music Club went out with a whimper, not a bang. An undeveloped, erratic collection of songs, the record suffers under the weight of overly slick, commercial arrangements, and production which renders tracks like "It's Your Birthday," "Wish the World Away," and "Hello Amsterdam" as bland alterna-rock; only the effervescent "Can You Help Me?" manages to absorb and transcend its glossy pop veneer. Still, Mark Eitzel goes down swinging, conjuring a handful of haunting gems -- the best cuts on San Francisco, from the luminous opener "Fearless." to the achingly tender "The Thorn in My Side Is Gone," are also the most simple; AMC never needed adornment, just a sympathetic ear. ~ Jason Ankeny