More people have probably heard of The Greenhornes than have actually heard the Cincinnati, Ohio, band's music.
Hopefully that's about to change.
The group that had its rhythm section raided by Jack White for the Raconteurs is back with its first new album in eight years. "(Four Stars)" reunites singer-guitarist Craig Fox with drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist Jack Lawrence, who also is in White's third band, The Dead Weather.
After years on hiatus, the group reformed this summer and recorded another slab of good-time garage rock. The Greenhornes cop to their love of "Nuggets" and have laid down 12 tracks that fluctuate from earnest love songs to spacey slow jams to hazy pop songs with a lot of straight-forward rocking that spikes the band's live show with adrenaline.
Take some time to get lost in the psychedelic swirl of "Go Tell Henry" or "Cave Drawings," sing along to the infectious harmonies of "Need Your Love" and "Get Me Out Of Here," and bob your head to "Jacob's Ladder" and "Better Off Without It."
The Greenhornes shift gears a lot here and it's a pleasure to go along for the ride. In a time that seems dominated by Auto-Tune, drum loops and technological fakery, it's fun to listen to a band do it the honest way.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: From it's stop-time march to its funky organ breakdown, "Under Estimator" is the song most likely to rattle the garage door. Fox's guitar is as twitchy as the song's subject, who brokenheartedly declares "I'll spend my days waiting for you."