Visqueen

...from the opening riff of "Hand Me Down" it's readily apparent that Seattle's Visqueen is well-versed in classic rock idioms. Even better, they flaunt them without irony. With the bravado of Cheap Trick and the she-swagger of Kim Deal/Pat Benatar/Ann Wilson, frontwoman Rachel Flotard's hooks land with precise potency. As if the track wasn't venomous enough, add in a cameo from Neko Case [who also brought in Flotard to sing on her recent Middle Cyclone and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood albums], and it's game over. "Hand Me Down" is the first track on the band's upcoming Message to Garcia! album [their third], due out September 8 on the band's recently formed Local 638 Records. Tune in now...

MP3: Visqueen "Hand Me Down"

Neko Case Album Stream @ NPR

...thanks to NPR, you can stream the upcoming Neko Case album, Middle Cyclone, which is due to drop on March 3. Although the album definitely veers more toward the country flavors Neko favored on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, it doesn't seem nearly as detached from her work in The New Pornographers. Have a listen here...