Canyons

With “Dream in My Head,” the lead single from his second studio album as Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves, the Hot Water Music guitarist cranks up his old tube amp and unleashes a flurry of raw riffs steeped in classic Southern rock. Imagine Being There–era Wilco with a lumberjack muscle behind the musicianship, and you’re halfway there. “Runaway Train” isn’t the Soul Asylum song by the same title but rather an Americana rocker with a locomotive rhythm section recalling early-'90s alt-country luminaries Uncle Tupelo. If you’ve ever wondered what Bruce Springsteen might have sounded like had he turned his back on New Jersey and joined the '70s New York punk scene, “Poison Friends” offers a hint. By “Heavy Rolling Thunder,” what's apparent is that it’s nearly impossible for Wollard to write a bad song. This one cranks up the natural guitar distortion over a multi-tiered soundscape of minor chords that ring out like Neil Young & Crazy Horse jamming on '60s Byrds chords with heavyhanded riffs.