DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS.

Drive-By Truckers places stories from the American South in the middle of a solid guitar band. The different voices and perspectives give the songs character, while country, soul, and southern rock run through the arrangements.

Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley make a character or a place emerge from small details. Guitars can sound heavy without overpowering the lyrics. Listen to the differences in vocals and rhythm between two songs: the band has more than one way of carrying a story.

Drive-By Truckers makes guitar rock function as a setting for stories. A riff sets the motion in motion, the rhythm section keeps the tempo palpable, and the vocals place a character or situation right in the middle. The voices and perspectives may vary, but the band's cohesion connects the songs without smoothing out any rough edges.

On LP, longer stories and shorter, direct material are placed side by side. Listen to the guitars when the vocals pause briefly: they can continue the mood or steer the song in a different direction. One side of the record holds these shifts together. As a result, the music can be followed both through the story and through the interplay that continues beneath it.

Discover the editions of Drive-By Truckers at SJELF: A Blessing and a Curse, Brighter Than Creation's Dark, and The Fine Print. View the available vinyl edition per plate.

The musical background runs through southern rock and country. Explore the genre narratives and listen to the different timbres.

Also listen to Jason Isbell and Allman Brothers Band. The records below provide five related listening tips.