Two Cow Garage

Columbus, OH’s Two Cow Garage are not breaking new ground with their third album but have created another in a line of solid, rocking releases that straddle the line between barroom rock’n’roll and alt-country. Much like Memphis, TN’s Lucero, this is a band that know just how to switch between flat out rockers — most of which are frontloaded here — and pensive, quieter material with style. Guitarist Micah Schnabel has a gravelly, whiskey-soaked voice, much like Lucero’s Ben Nichols, but lyrically seems to be more about where he’s going to and not as much about where he’s been, which isn’t to say the past doesn’t come into play. "No Shame” and the album’s final track, "Postcards and Apologies,” both talk about how rough things have been at times, but you can’t help but feel optimism in Schnabel’s voice. You know he knows he’s onto a good thing, so now it’s just a matter of time before others discover just how kick-ass his band is.