Recounting The Ballads Of Thin Line Men

The 28th release from iconic desert rock collective Giant Sand. Frontman Howe Gelb is an indispensable part of the Southwest rock scene and has participated in a dizzying array of side projects (OP8, The Band of Blacky Ranchette, Arizona Amp and Alternator, etc.). The band’s early incarnations were an ever-rotating cast of characters who spawned innumerable projects including Calexico and Friends of Dean Martinez. This latest release finds the band revisiting their 1986 release Ballad Of A Thin Line Man and offering garage-leaning “reinterpretations” of the original songs. Would fit in with any of the aforementioned groups, as well as The Hold Steady, Jason Molina, Magnolia Electric Co., The Jayhawks, or Wilco. FCC on 5 and 11. Start with 2, 5, or 8

(1.) (3:35) Rough-around-the-edges rocker with croaked beatnik lyrics. Like a harder-hitting Guided by Voices (*2.) (6:04) Fuzzed-out garage rock barrel-aged in blues. Blistering guitar solos interspersed between several quiet bridges (3.) (4:34) Hard-hitting power chords with twangy vocals (4.) (4:11) Johnny Thunders cover about heroin addiction. (*5.) (2:36) (FCC: Shit) Sparse desert rock with browbeaten vocals (6.) (2:34) Minimal, bongos and vox (7.) (4:22) Emotion-fraught vocals over a bed of rumbling guitar. Loud, quiet, loud dynamics (*8.) (2:20) Alternating male/female vocals over a strummy bed of lilty guitar (9.) (4:02) Female vocals with crunchy distorted guitar (10.) (6:05) Head banging rocker (11.) (2:17) (FCC: Shit) Punkier, lo-fi alternate version of Track 5