Boss Hog
have always been a band content to work on a time-line that would puzzle most bands, perfectly willing to go five years between releases as they attended to their other projects. But 2017's
Brood X
arrives over 16 years after their last proper album, 2000's
Whiteout
, as
Cristina Martinez
sets aside her duties as a working mom and
Jon Spencer
takes some downtime from his
Blues Explosion
. If
sound a bit different than they did at the dawn of the 21st century, that's to be expected, but
(and the 2016 companion EP
Brood Star
) reveals that they've changed very little conceptually; their dirty mixture of punkified blues, raw funk, and stoned but committed show band swagger is a bit less swampy, but it will still make you feel good and greasy after a few spins. Just as
integrated elements of sampling and hip-hop beats into their music,
have followed suit on
, and these accents feel right at home here, adding greater booty-shaking potential to their melange of booming trash-can drumming, buzzy and fuzzy guitars, and low-tech keyboards.
seem a bit more laid-back in the later innings of this album, though that's not to say
Martinez
or
Spencer
has gotten smooth or mellow; on "Sunday Routine" and "17," the group generates a moody, richly textured sound that resembles a stripped-down New York variant on
PJ Harvey
, especially with
's coolly modulated vocals.
don't kick as hard as they once did, but what they've lost in muscle they've certainly made up for in terms of atmosphere and creativity in the studio, and
is worth a spin for anyone who digs their grimy glory -- especially since it's hard to guess when we might hear from them again. ~ Mark Deming