Rubble

Rubble

Lowbrow or no brow? That's never been clear with Rubble, a slouching post-punk creature gathering its drug-rock in erratic doses over the last seven years. On its long-awaited debut LP, the Austin quintet doesn't blow its load on solos or "lyrics," jumping straight into the void instead. Opening dose "Cigarette Rabbit" shape-shifts into the Chrome-like chug of "It's So Easy," which gives way to blues-rock anxiety "You Can't Ever Come Down." Guitarists Bobby Baker and Shawn David McMillen, bassist Matt Turner, Butthole Surfers' beat King Coffey, and keyboardist Craig Stewart make expert use of pure psych-rock substances: fuzz, delay, dread. "Tom of Midland" has all three, while Ralph White's kalimba on "Old Dominion" is an inspired touch. "White Melt" is a straight-up Surfers flashback, and "Grey at Grace" backs out of The Farewell Drugs gracefully after all the crude energy. Real Texas psych.