Do You Like American Music: A Winning Debut, A Stellar Return II

Thought I'd take advantage of the early spring weather and temporarily pause my weeks-long war with contractors (at home, not work -- THAT war's been waging for years...) to come in with a couple recommendations that've been keeping me busy after the fervent holiday season.  First up is a debut from a little West Virginia five-piece, Ona, that I stumbled on appropriately in the midst of a road trip.  We were driving north, but the album conjures imagery of the American south -- places like Amarillo, Louisiana, and Texarkana all get name-checked, and the tone is as warm as that region's middle months, part early Wilco alt-country, part early Wallflowers indie rock. Lead singer Bradley Jenkins' voice has the same inviting, gravely rasp as the latter band's Dylan, while the lyrics and Made in America mentality are reminiscent of the former's ringleader Tweedy.

It's a winning mixture -- Jenkins and Co rattle through ten tracks of increasing excellence, from the muscular title track "American Fiction," "Ides of July," and lead single "World at War," which are pitch perfect Americana, to more subdued emotional numbers like "Lemon Sea" and "I Will Wait," whose harmonies are absolute kneecappers. Nothing tops "Pipestem," though, which represents the culmination of both aspects -- a propulsive down home groove courtesy of guitarist Zack Owens (along w/ bedrock-solid rhythm section mates Max Nolte, Zach Johnston, and PJ Woodard) alongside a beautiful melody driven by Jenkins harmonizing with the band. There's not a ton written about these guys yet, but with a debut as fantastic as this that's sure to change soon.  Check out "Pipestem" here:



Next up is the return of an old friend, one I'd lost track of and somewhat forgotten over the years, the Midwest legends Violent Femmes. They stumbled from the edge of memory rather unexpectedly, catching them by dumb luck on Colbert a few weeks ago, and it was like having a high school friend (which these guys very much were) show up unannounced on your doorstep.  They're back with their first album in sixteen years, and it's the best they've done in twenty five, capturing the rebellious charm and magic of classics like that year's Why do Birds Sing? and their legendary self-titled debut.  I spent hour upon hour with those two albums growing up, awkwardly singing along with frontman Gordan Gano's nasally whine and chunky acoustic guitar, and they're front and center again here, leading the way through the blistering thirty minute, ten song salvo of We Can do Anything. From lead single "Memory" to instant classics like "Issues" and "Foothills," the album is a return to form for the folk-punk trio.

The band's always been at its best when singing about love and teenage angst, filtering those topics through Gano's irreverent, flippant, and at times darkly humorous lyrics, and they do so again masterfully here.  In addition to the aforementioned trio, there's the lovely 50s-era ballad "What you Really Mean," the smirking "Travelling Solves Everything" (with its laughingly satisfying chant of "STEW! STEW! STEW!") and "Big One" (whose double entendres and twist ending are vintage Femmes), and the snarky, sarcastic venom of "Untrue Love," all of which sound instantly familiar and will quickly have you singing along.  There's nary a bad song to be found -- even when they veer a little too close to kid pop on tracks like "I Could be Anything," there's a winning charm and infectiousness that grants them an exemption.  All in all it's a fast, fun way to spend half an hour and a welcome reunion for these beloved old friends.  Get reacquainted the same way I did, with the lead single "Memory," which would sound at home on either of those aforementioned classics.  Check it out here: