Bible belt: the latest from Stephin Merritt's Future Bible Heroes delivers a straight shot of snappy.

Eternal Youth * Future Bible Heroes * Instinct Records

Who says long-distance relationships are doomed to failure? Certainly not Boston multi-instrumentalist Chris Ewan or his Future Bible Heroes collaborators, out lyricist Stephin Merritt and singer Claudia Gonson, both of critically acclaimed New York band the Magnetic Fields. On the trio's mostly stellar second album, Gonson intones Merritt's words with distingue dryness framed by Ewan's lively synth pop, which, at its finest, recalls early Depeche Mode--particularly the opening "Losing Your Affection."

While Gonson's deadpan singing renders a couple of slow numbers into dirges ("No River"), it also brilliantly illuminates Merritt's wit on the more dramatic ditties, especially the sweeping and hilarious "I'm A Vampire": "I've survived for 700 years / And still look 17," she tosses off with a shrug. And judging from the variety of timbres showcased on the instrumental interludes, such as the bamboo percussion of "Jakarta," Ewan must own a huge collection of exotic music-making devices. Maybe that's why all three can't work in the same space.