PAW”Dragline” A&M;* * *A lot of people...

PAW

“Dragline”

A&M;

* * *

A lot of people are picking this Kansas quartet as the next big metal-grunge crossover. But how about country-grunge? It would take a major revolution to get country radio to play this--there’s way too much wattage in the amps. But there is also plenty of Middle American sensibility, giving this debut a character all its own. Most ear-catching is “Jessie,” the affectionate story of a boy and his dog (how much more country can you be?) that even features a pedal steel amid all the hard-rock crunch.

The rest of the album largely follows that Helmet-in-the-barnyard model, the hard musical attack colored with splashes of acoustic guitars and rural lyrics. Of course, when you hear Mark Hennessy’s desperate howl, you know it’s not exactly morning in mid-America.

These are songs about the dark secrets from behind the barn, some almost hinting at Stephen King territory. But for all the horror, a feeling emerges that these children of the corn have a respect for where they come from, a sense of belonging that’s been largely missing from the grunge world.

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