HUE BLANC'S JOYLESS ONES - s/t LP

We're huge fans of Hue Blanc's Joyless Ones, with 'Stoning Josephine' receiving constant airplay.

Hue Blanc's Joyless Ones are a very difficult band to describe. It's a cliché to say a band "has its own sound", but it's 100 percent true in the case of HBJO. There's literally no other band out there that sounds like this.

Think bluesy garage rock meets pre-punk meets post-punk meets psychedelic rock meets non-pretentious poetry meets straight-forward Midwestern rock and roll featuring two songwriters with contrasting and complementary styles.

If this were 30 years ago, we could just call it "indie" and be done with it but right now we'll side with Goner Records and categorize this as "mutant rock." It doesn't fit into any box, and why would you want it to? While it has its share of quality rockers (check out the opening 1-2 punch of "Black Charms" and "Winter Palace"), the new album is at its best when it unfolds in surprising and interesting ways.

This album is a big-time grower.