Record Reviews

Prescott Curlywolf

Arkadelphia (Summer Break)

Grandiose and primitive, rambling and precise, the long-awaited new release from Austin rock veterans Prescott Curlywolf is a trove of two-minute masterpieces that show this local foursome to be, after all this time, at the very top of their game. Twenty-two songs in 44 minutes. Therein lies the beauty of Arkadelphia, due out Tuesday: big fat rock tunes distilled to their essence, trimmed of fat and fluff, and unleashed with all the power a pair of Telecasters can deliver. The styles of the band's frontman triumvirate (guitarists Rob Bernard and Ron Byrd and bassist Tim Kinard) combine in a frenetically cohesive personality, mixing up airtight thrashers ("Dignity of Action"), brainy rock ("Mariposa"), and spit-shined pop tunes ("Gold in the Mud") into perfect ragged seamlessness. The first full recording with drummer Chris Deaner, Arkadelphia reaps the benefits of his hard-hitting punk sensibilities, coming up all but completely void of the country flavors that marked the band's earlier days. A mandolin and a few horns find their way onto the album, but Arkadelphia is all about guitar -- the immortal Fender Telecaster -- and the never-ending number of riffs that can be summoned from it by someone with the proper power. In the right hands, rock music is endlessly vital. All it takes is a band like Prescott Curlywolf to remind us of that once in a while.