Sixteen Horsepower "Sixteen Horsepower" (EP) (A&M, 1995)

Sixteen Horsepower "Sackcloth & Ashes" (A&M, 1996)

Sixteen Horsepower "Low Estate" (A&M, 1997)
Although their incorporation of "country" motifs (a plunky banjo on a few tunes, some twangy slide, a sludgey rockabilly-Goth vibe) is relatively more skillful than many altie types, this is ultimately too much of a lofty, I'll-prove-to-you-it's-art rock record for me to get into it... The songs strain for profundity, and are uniformly impenetrable. Too much of a Nick Cave jones, too, and too-warbly vocals. Doesn't do that much for me.

Sixteen Horsepower "Folklore" (Jetset, 2002)

Sixteen Horsepower "Low Estate" (Jetset, 2003)
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Slick Fifty Seven "The Ghost Of Bonnie Parker" (Laughing Outlaw, 2002)
Zippy cowpunk with a snotty, Camper Van-ish feel. Didn't ring my bells, but it was okay. The label is Australian, but I think the band is from Texas.

Slobberbone "Crow Pot Pie" (Select-O-Hits, 1996)

Slobberbone "Barrel Chested" (New West, 1997)

Slobberbone "Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today" (New West, 2000)

Slobberbone "Slippage" (New West, 2002)
Shame on me for not liking this band just because of their stupid, ugly-sounding name... But, well, what can you do? It's a dumb name. Smart band, though -- this isn't the rowdy, sloppy twangcore you might expect... not exactly. Rather, what we have here is slick, melodic power-pop masquerading as cowpunk, as the band foregoes the acoustic-ish country touches that speckled prevous albums, in favor of a more full-frontal electric rock guitar style. The gravel-voiced vocals pay back-handed homage to numerous croony growlers of the neo-Tom Waits school, and while the roughness of the guitars is more exaggerated and louder than need be, I'd have to say this is a pretty skillful mix. A rock music comparison might be to the pop-punk balladeers in the Smoking Popes -- faux ugly vocals distracting us from musical craftsmanship that might otherwise be deemed too "perfect" for the genre... This isn't entirely my cup of tea; I think they're overdoing it a bit, and personally I don't find the record that pleasant to listen to. But if you want something that's rugged but not brainless, this is a pretty good record.

Chris Smither "Train Home" (HighTone, 2003)
Roots-blues troubadour Chris Smither has been around so long that his '70s singer-songwriter status has shifted into that of an elder statesman of the alt.country scene. This is a remarkable album -- melliflous, calm and compelling, a very mature work. Some of his albums of the 1990s and early '00s have had their forced moments; here Smither seems entirely at ease, and seems to have nothing to prove. It's a very rich, rewarding album, well worth checking out.

Todd Snider "East Nashville Skyline" (Oh Boy, 2004)
Slipping into a cynicism as deep, profound and sincere as Steve Earle's, comedically-inclined alt-folk troubadour Todd Snider gets a few good ones in, but ultimately may lose a few listeners with the relentlessly depressing nature of this album. Lots of songs about drugs and jails and broken relationships... Where all his anger comes from may be a little mystifying, but you gotta admit he makes pretty good use of it... His rambling anti-censorship song, "Ballad Of The Kingsmen," recounts the presumptive suppression of the Kingsmen's old hit, "Louie Louie" (no one could understand the lyrics, so they must've been wicked...) and laments those who would blame the Columbine school shootings on rock music, rather than ask what the heck is wrong with our kids today... On a similar note, the song "Conservative Christian, Right Wing, Republican, Straight, White, American Males" is an update of the old rednecks-vs.-hippies theme... As ever, Snider has a superb deadpan delivery and a biting wit, but somehow this album seems a bit off... It's just so inherently glum and pessimistic that it never really gets off the ground... Still, it's a sharp, clever and quite personal... possibly the perfect antidote for all the bland, prefab crap out there on the radio dial.

Todd Snider "That Was Me: 1994-1998" (Hip-O-Universal, 2005)
Alt-twang troubadour Todd Snider has put out so many finely crafted acoustic gems in the last few years, it's almost hard to remember the rock edge and attitude he had in his early work. This is a great single-CD overview of his early albums, recorded for MCA-Nashville and its subsidiaries, back in the mid-1990s. Although it came out a little after the fact, his debut single, "Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues" (which was sent out to college stations, as I recall...) is still a hilarious skewering of the music industry's lemming-like faddishness... And the scabrous "Alright Guy," which has become an alt-country standard, also still packs a wallop. This is a nice introduction to a sharp-witted wordsmith who has only gotten wittier and more soulful as time's gone by. Worth a spin!

Todd Snider "Peace, Love And Anarchy: Rarities, B-Sides And Demos" (Oh Boy!, 2007)
The lacerating wit of folk-twang smartass Todd Snider is presented in its rawest form in this lively set of demos, outtakes and one-offs... There are several songs about Nashville and its secret society of half-starving songwriters, an ode or two dedicated to the rival Austin scene, and some good, old-fashioned novelty songs such as "Barbie Doll" and "Combover Blues." Some of these songs may be familiar from their finished versions, while some, particularly those with all the dirty words in 'em, never got all that much airplay. (One more reason to pick this one up: half of these songs you will never, ever hear on the radio, due to "objectionable" language...) Pals like Jack Ingram and Peter Holsapple pitch in on a tune or two, but mostly it's Snider's show, and he comes through crystal-clear on the disc's stripped-down acoustic numbers... It's a pretty strong set -- a nice addition to his ouvre; longtime fans will be stoked.

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Hick Music Index

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