Pokey LaFarge

To us St. Louisans, Pokey LaFarge has become something of a local treasure. From his sets at Blues City Deli, to his rising star-like sold-out Off Broadway shows, we've always been proud of this time-traveling troubadour and his love for our fair city. 

To those unaware, Pokey drives in a lane that's part tribute, part satire, and part brilliance when it comes to representing traditional blues, roots, delta, folk, whatever you want to call it, really. He looks as if he's just stepped off a time-travelled locomotive from the 1930's. You may think to yourself, what is this guy doing? After all, nods to music's simpler and finer times are all too familiar in modern music, be it 50's, 60's or even 80's eras. However, Pokey reaches even further back in time, and pulls it front and center for all of us to enjoy. And, he takes it quite seriously. 

So, another purveyor of music past, Jack White, paid attention. He brought Pokey down to his Nashville studio to record a Third Man Blue Series single ("Chittlin' Cookin' Time In Cheatham County") and also had Pokey and the South City Three back him up on a tune from his solo album, Blunderbuss ("I Guess I'll Just Go to Sleep"). This led to Pokey signing to Third Man Records, proper, and now the release of his new album, simply titled Pokey LaFarge.

Simply said, Pokey's new record is fantastic. The songs are richer, his stories strong, as always. And while he's ditched the South City Three moniker for his backing band, they shine as bright as him throughout the album. The record starts strong with "Central Time," a song sure to make any Midwesterner beam with pride.  The upright bass, harmonica, and guitar work on "The Devil Ain't Lazy" is spectacular, and they backing vocals perfect his words of wisdom. The mix is very clean, and the album relies more on instrument choice (and skill) rather than trickery to make it sound 'old.' Muted horns, saloon piano, and classical guitar do that just fine (dig "What the Rain Will Bring or "Kentucky Mae" or "Day after Day"). "Bowlegged Woman" is a fabulous jig sure to inspire a few dance moves, and there's a little more truth in "City Summer Blues" than we'd like to admit. I could go on and on, but you'll just have to hear in for yourself. It could open your mind to a different era of music, a prospect I'm sure would make Pokey grin. 

This record is sure to make Pokey a bigger star, and as far as I'm concerned, it's much deserved. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. Play it at your next house party, drink some whiskey and dance until the sun comes up.

New Spins

Portugal.The Man  Evil Friends
(Atlantic)

After being underwhelmed by the first few singles released by Portugal.The Man this year, I finally had a chance to sit down with the entire album. It wasn't as instantly great as In the Mountain, In the Cloud, but after a few listens, it gets really good. The songwriting is a little darker and dirtier (Dangermouse produced it, after all). The singles dissolve into the album's frame and make more sense, and the deep tracks show a lot of growth and willingness to experiment. Just solidifies the practice of not listening to anything until the album comes out. Worth a download, at least.

Queens of the Stone Age  ...Like Clockwork
(Matador)

Queens return with their best album since Songs for the Deaf, and with it returns the sound of jumping around on the tuner dial. There are nods to their previous three records' styles, and a myriad of guests make this quite a ride. Dave Grohl mans the drums on half the record, and Trent Reznor, Elton John, Mark Lanegan, and Alex Turner all lend a bit of spice to tracks to which they contribute. Obviously, though, the star is Josh Homme. His riffs are just as heavy, just as weird, and there is a new sense of personality to his lyrics (that is to say, if you've ever wondered what it would be like to have a tail). With this powerful, interesting album, QOTSA prove they are perhaps the most unique band in modern rock, and quite possibly give us the album of the year.