Saturday ACL Fest Record Reviews

Allan Rayman rose in mystery last year, the Toronto native maintaining a low profile despite the acclaim from debut LP Hotel Allan. Now, Roadhouse 01 delivers Rayman to the spotlight, his harsh and graveled vocals layered over a genre-bent mix of R&B, indie beats, hip-hop, and intricate arrangements – like Alt-J tripping on the Weeknd. Roadhouse also unfolds a concept album narratively driven as a dark mirror to his own creative rise. "Wolf" opens in eerie creep to the soulful flow of "December," but jazz send-up "Jim's Story" breaks mold into the backside's more experimental and aggressive rhythms ("Head Over Heels," "13"). Complex and entrancing. (1:15pm, Tito's stage)