Lincoln Durham's gritty take on the southern gothic imagination threatens to overplay its roots/rock revivalist hand throughout these 10 tracks. Yet the Texan emerges from this mélange of earthy country blues and fevered musings as an impressive and interesting figure. Guided by George Rieff's stripped-back atmospheric production and driven by Rick Richard's powerful percussion (the bass drum courses through the album like a massive pumped-up heartbeat), Durham delivers his dark stories in a howling rasp full of menace and anguish, coloured by his primitive electric and acoustic guitar. The spirit of ancient blues masters is invoked, but Durham's sense of theatricality seems to dominate everything. That said, Keep on Allie offers a warm balance to the simmering Sinner, the disturbing Beautifully Sewn, Violently Torn and the apocalyptic Rise in the River. lincolndurham.com
Download: Keep on Allie, Rise in the River