Deadstring Brothers - Starving Winter Report (Bloodshot)
Second album from the Detroit six piece sees the band taking their kick ass country rock into another dimension. Great songs, brilliant musicianship and a fantastic gritty feel make this one of the best Alt.Country records for a while. The male/female vocal works well on tracks such as Sacred Heart and Lonely Days with the keyboard and pedal steel adding a haunting feel to Blindfolded. They were tighter than a badgers bum when we saw them in Swansea (see DSB) and this album has been on repeat ever since. Buy one today and get their debut while you’re about it..

BEST OF THE REST THIS MONTH

My Morning Jacket - Z (RCA)
Another great album this month, this time from long time favourites My Morning Jacket. The band have released three albums and countless singles over the past 5 years. It Moves was a classic album back in 2003 and this betters it thanks to an excellent production job by John Leckie. He seems to have stopped singer Jim James from overworking the songs and cut the guitar noodling that tainted earlier releases. With hints of reggae in Wordless Chrous and Off The Record it seems that the band have opened their sound to take in more influences than before. That’s not to say the trademark vocal and guitar are missing, they are there in full glory on epic songs such as Gideon and It Beats for You. There’s even a bit of fairground merry-go-round organ in Into the Woods - fun for all the family!

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights (Lost Highway)
The second album this year from Adams and his Cardinals. The first album Cold Roses carried a much rockier sound than this album which is pretty much a straight traditional Country record that wouldn’t sound out of place at a line-dancing party. Opening with pop-country foot-tapper A Kiss Before I Go it could be any country record from the 50s. Norah Jones adds vocals to Dear John and the remainder could be on a jukebox in a bar in a southern US state. It’s all very pleasant with a few bittersweet twists and a waltz beat. The Hardest Part is a great 3 chord strum and stands out, but why the cover of Elvis’ Always on my Mind?! Be warned, your parents will like this record!

Richmond Fontaine - Obliteration by Time (El Cortez)
Available only on their tour, this album sees the band re-record some of their earlier songs from the first two albums which are no longer available as the band have not been able to regain ownership from their original record label. There are some cracking songs on here if you are not lucky enough to have the originals of White Line Fever, 1968 and Dayton, OH and this is an easy way to gain access. Included is the unavailable elsewhere Song for Dead Moon which they played loudly and proudly on the tour. See Oct 05 for a review of their Cardiff gig.