Varnaline

Varnaline, which plays the Capitol Garage this Tuesday, April 16, with Centro-Matic, is essentially Anders Parker, a difficult-to-classify songwriter who straddles more than a few genres, including Americana forms and hard-edged, Byrdsish rock. Songs in a Northern Key is Varnaline’s fifth album and its first for Steve Earle’s E-Squared label; it was mixed by Earle’s “twangtrust” partner, Ray Kennedy. But updated Buck Owens this ain’t. It kicks off with a precious and delicately mandolin-nuanced number, “Still Dream,” might’ve come straight off the millennium edition of Big Pink, then launches into “Song,” a leathered and chromed “Shake Some Action”-styled plaint that seems to be about growing older. Other numbers explore common ground that lies between the Carter Family, the “White Album” and Moby. Some great tunes, too, e.g. the Beatlesque-without-being-fab “Down the Street.” Top-shelf stuff.

Varnaline, which plays the Capitol Garage this Tuesday, April 16, with Centro-Matic, is essentially Anders Parker, a difficult-to-classify songwriter who straddles more than a few genres, including Americana forms and hard-edged, Byrdsish rock. Songs in a Northern Key is Varnaline’s fifth album and its first for Steve Earle’s E-Squared label; it was mixed by Earle’s “twangtrust” partner, Ray Kennedy. But updated Buck Owens this ain’t. It kicks off with a precious and delicately mandolin-nuanced number, “Still Dream,” might’ve come straight off the millennium edition of Big Pink, then launches into “Song,” a leathered and chromed “Shake Some Action”-styled plaint that seems to be about growing older. Other numbers explore common ground that lies between the Carter Family, the “White Album” and Moby. Some great tunes, too, e.g. the Beatlesque-without-being-fab “Down the Street.” Top-shelf stuff.