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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

What's going on / Music Thursday To-Do: These United States

Posted by Robert Bell on Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 10:12 AM

These United States plays at Stickyz Thursday.

These United States plays at Stickyz Thursday.

THESE UNITED STATES
9 p.m. Stickyz. $10.

At its core, These United States is cut from similar cloth as the shaggy, M. Ward-ian or Dr. Dog-ish classic/country rock that’s been real widespread over the last six or seven years. But there’s also a distinctly bluesy glam vibe on the band’s latest, self-titled album, especially on the opener “Dead & Gone,” which recalls all those times when Marc Bolan set his rock dial to “choogle.”

Singer and main songwriter Jesse Elliott has a cracked-but-not-broken, appealingly world-weary voice that’s perfectly suited to this music. The track “Maps” has some keen acoustic guitar playing underpinning the rest of the kitchen-sink tune, with its shifting instrumentation and handclaps. Recommended for fans of the aforementioned M. Ward and Dr. Dog, as well as Delta Spirit, The Head and the Heart and other retro-informed pop acts.

The opening act at this 18-and-older show is The Weeks, a Mississippi-bred y’allternative outfit that reminds me of early Kings of Leon.

Tags: These United States, The Weeks

        
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