Texas Platters

Guns of Navarone

A decade before the term alt.country was coined in the Nineties, one roots-rock revival featured guitar bands like the Long Ryders, Rank & File, and Green on Red. The members of Guns of Navarone probably weren't even born at that musical juncture, but Prize and Battlefield, the local quartet's debut, would fit neatly in a scene that took much influence from Gram Parsons' rock-and-country hybrid played with indie rock attitude. Guns of Navarone's chiming guitars, chugging rhythms, and sparkling harmonies suggest a more contemporary comparison to the Old 97's, yet it also isolates the occasional goth flourish, like the ending of "Gatsby Did It All for a Girl" and a Southwestern sweep created by the guest pedal steel of Kim Deschamps on "Born Bloody." Well-crafted hooks and muscular ensemble play make Prize and Battlefield an imposing initial effort.