(Bloodshot/Inertia)

Rollicking live set from Chicago’s premium Punk-infused alt-country band

Talk about your unknown quantities. Formed by British rocker Jon Langford after his departure from The Mekons, The Waco Brothers specialize in hard-edged Chicago country rock that also takes in pieces of rockabilly, electric blues and more tune-orientated classic punk. It also has former KMFDM collaborator Mark Durante on steel guitar (because when I think of pedal slide, German industrial metal obviously goes hand in hand), so I was surprised as anyone to find out how much it kicks ass. Taking tracks from over a decades’ worth of albums, it’s a tight and lean distillation of the power this six-piece can wield, with the close harmony work between Langford and Tracey Dear unsurprisingly bearing a passing resemblance to All Mod Cons era The Jam and Elvis Costello’s work with The Attractions. Another delightful release from Bloodshot, a label that takes equal pride in keeping the traditions of country music alive as well as pushing boundaries.

MITCH ALEXANDER

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