The Brains

As demonstrated by their use of spooky contact lenses, upright bass and horror-tinged lyrics, the Brains are certainly aware of psychobilly's well defined conventions, but it's their willingness to work outside of the lines that makes Drunk Not Dead one of the genre's bests. Aside from the speedy "Murder," songs like the hyper-melodic "Six Rounds" and the gang-vocal filled "Take What I Want" show Drunk Not Dead as an album defined more by melody than tempo, and the band's ability to write songs in three languages without coming off as gimmicky is worth more than a pat on the back. There's an edge to this that its peers lack, and with the intrusive narration during "We Are the Brains" serving as its only misstep, Drunk Not Dead features some of the strongest songs psychobilly has seen in years.