Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys

Bloodshot Records, purveyors of all things country from trad to alt, bring us this appropriately named band from Kansas City, Missouri. If you’re looking for “up with people” sentiments, you’ve come to the wrong place. Fourteen tunes to drink by when heartache has made you so pathetic you’re not sure whether to cry or laugh. This is alt-country in the sense that the music is traditional honky-tonk while the humour and overall sensibility of the lyrics are modern. This dichotomy keeps a listener on their toes — you’re never sure if they’re playing it totally straight or not. For example, “I Walked In While He Was Changing Your Mind” may have a comical title, but the song itself is unrelentingly bleak. “I Always Cry at Weddings,” continues the fine tradition of songs about old girlfriends getting themselves hitched, and “Mother of a Member of the Band,” was in fact written by Rex’s mom. Pull up a chair and wallow along.