Charles Potts MagIc Windmill Band

Charles Potts MagIc Windmill Band

The best punch lines are delivered with a straight face. The same sentiment holds true for the irreverent tales spun by Charles Potts Magic Windmill Band. Led by locals Travis Catsull and Cavedweller's Dirk Michener, the self-coined "New York City-style experimental country" outfit howls like Ginsberg but with the off-kilter authenticity of Ween's 12 Golden Country Greats. Second full-length The Golden Calves finds the quintet passing moonshine on the open trail ("Whoopin Up Cattle"), battling vampires ("Winslow Boy"), then cancer ("Goodbye Son"). The storied "Issued by State" recalls Dynamite Hack's croquet version of N.W.A's "Boyz-N-the Hood," while its remix leans closer to 1960s girl pop. The Band's literary bent throughout is surprisingly sharp and enjoyable, particularly the aching steel guitar of "Shiny Trophy," which rivals the Mountain Goats' All Hail West Texas in its depiction of Napoleon Dynamite-esque nostalgia. Charlie Potts would be proud.