The Houston Brothers - s/t
(self-released)
Let's see: their surnames are Faircloth and they're from Charlotte, NC, so calling themselves The Houston Brothers makes about as much sense as calling your band The Thompson or Cocteau Twins. At least these guys are brothers. I think.... Nomenclature aside, "Lovin' You is Such a Drag" is an intriguing cross between Pink Floyd and The Church going (alt.)country, and it had me chomping at the bit for more. Luckily, the Faircloth, er, Houston Brothers live up to this early promise and deliver a solid collection of tears-in-your-beer soap operas that'll have you mopping up the dance floor with your sweetheart in the best Jayhawks, Wallflowers and Wilco tradition. Highlights include the swaying rocker ("Portland"), the harmony-filled tearjerker ("Star"), the Floydian, Dark Side of The Moon-ish ("Bluejays") with its cool honky-tonk piano solo and stadium-ready Gilmour-esque guitar solo, and the exquisite Wallflowers-meet-Counting Crows harmonies on "This Afternoon."
The lovely melodies and easy, laid-back vibe throughout will have you coming back to this album again and again, making it, along with In-Flight Safety, Graham Parker, and The Livingroom Legends, the finest alt.country release so far this year.
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