Ugly Stick

With country music slowly seeping into the distortion and angst of punk rock over the last few years it seems appropriate that a band that helped develop the cow punk sound should make their return after a nearly 14-year absence. While Ugly Stick have fairly obvious similarities to bands like Uncle Tupelo or the Old 97’s, there is undoubtedly a unique quality that sets these guys apart. Songs like "Tammie’s Landing,” whose strange vocal effect reminds of psychedelic rock while still retaining a raucous country melody, are a prime example. The tracks jump back and forth from up-tempo rockers like album opener "Little Lynn” to more subdued and introspective numbers like "Gone My Love.” Straddling the line between two genres is never an easy task but with Ugly Stick’s talent and experience the results have rarely been so rewarding.