Deathwish

To hear Deathwish once is to fall into its heavy yet folky Americana rock spell. The Macomb, IL college town trio have the good fortune to be fronted by enormously talented singer-songwriter Matthew Hobler, who writes sagas of sad love gone wrong of the whiskey-blotted nights variety, set to his robust, clean ‘n' bright, jangly-guitars that remind of Ohio's Libertines U.S. without the faster tempos. Hobler has a voice as strong as his playing, too, sounding like a thicker Ringo Starr mixed with Ray Price. Getting sucked in to the likes of "See You in Hell" —oh yes, Hobler minces words for no one! — and "Deathwish" is to be thrown around by a Crazy Horse-ish guitar simmer that buttresses the lachrymose to lacerating lyrical laments, while nimble bassist Andrew Menschel and drummer JW Robb deftly handle sudden changes in tempo and inflection — all at the core of an involving pop LP like few you'll name.