In April I was caught off guard when the New York Times previewed a Pinegrove show by saying, “On paper, this six-piece New Jersey band shouldn’t work, but its blend of country and emo somehow does.” That straw man is predicated on the idea that two genres built on guitars and deep subversive histories have nothing in common, but a brisk sweep of emo’s recent past easily brings up great examples of the two sounds meeting—hear the slide guitar ringing out on Small Brown Bike’s “A Lesson to Remember,” or maybe listen to Lucero’s entire discography. The best examples make the combination feel wholly natural—which has long been the MO for Chicago’s Ratboys, who tonight celebrate the release of their second album, GN (Topshelf).…
In April I was caught off guard when the New York Times previewed a Pinegrove show by saying, “On paper, this six-piece New Jersey band shouldn’t work, but its blend of country and emo somehow does.” That straw man is predicated on the idea that two genres built on guitars and deep subversive histories have nothing in common, but a brisk sweep of emo’s recent past easily brings up great examples of the two sounds meeting—hear the slide guitar ringing out on Small Brown Bike’s “A Lesson to Remember,” or maybe listen to Lucero’s entire discography. The best examples make the combination feel wholly natural—which has long been the MO for Chicago’s Ratboys, who tonight celebrate the release of their second album, GN (Topshelf).…