Two years ago, Jason Kutchma played the role of Bruce Springsteen in a wowing tribute to one of The Boss’s most enduring works, 1982’s Nebraska. That night, the frontman of Durham's barroom punk act Red Collar displayed a new side of himself, leading a brooding ensemble through devastating folk updates. He was brilliant, digging deep into the crises of the down-and-out with his reliably worn croon.

The same brilliance shines through in “There's a Light On,” the first release from his upcoming album with ace backing band the Five Fifths, which features members of Rat Jackson, Maple Stave and Aminal. The song builds from a gospel-like chant of the title, but piano eventually dances with weeping pedal steel as the rest of the backers chug along. They power this journey song with graceful energy. The narrative finds Kutchma’s character soldiering down the road, escaping a life that never felt right. “Like a lonely house on the hill,” he intones. “Given to me from some dusty will/ Mine by decree, but I knew to be/ It was mine, but it wasn’t me.”

No release date has been set for Kutchma’s entire album, but with a single this beautiful, it's certainly something to anticipate.

On April 3, Caltrop will release ten million years and eight minutes, its second album, and first in nearly four years. That sort of gap between albums is rare in an era of constant content streams, but it actually suits Caltrop; in its own unhurried way, the Chapel Hill foursome has used the lengthy interval to sharpen its approach and add new elements.

By no measure is ten million years a departure from the template set by World Class, the band’s heavy debut platter of Sabbath sludge and Zeppelin sprawl. It’s just that the band is reaching farther and with more confidence. The 13-minute “Perihelion” is a fitting centerpiece, as it works its way through all of Caltrop’s strengths. Cloudy psychedelic breaks give way to blues-metal thunder, and nimble guitar lines crack against rumbling low-end. The best moment, though, is its least characteristic: the gently propulsive, folk-informed section beginning at the 2:20 mark, where guitar leads dart like flies in summer air and the band sings together, quietly at first, but with growing resolve.

The long and deliberate “Perihelion” isn’t entirely indicative of ten million years, though. The album also boasts Caltrop’s most righteous hard rock in songs like the brilliant “Ancient” and anthemic “Form and Abandon.”
Caltrop might’ve taken its time preparing ten million years, but it was worth the wait. It will be available via Holidays for Quince April 3.

It’s notable that, at least until now, Corrosion of Conformity has never released a self-titled album. Over its almost 30-year history, the band has been a revolving door of membership. Only guitarist Woody Weatherman has never left the band. But older and wiser and returned to its founding trio of Weatherman, bassist/singer Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin, COC appears to have decided how its legacy should be remembered.

Corrosion of Conformity is the band’s ninth album (counting 1987’s brief Technocracy) and its most wide-ranging, too. Here, the band discards nothing from its past, creating a new context in which the idea of separating the band into distinct “eras” feels pointless. Songs like “Leeches” rage with a speed and intensity unseen since this lineup’s last venture together, 1985’s Animosity. “River of Stone,” meanwhile, favorably recalls the band at its Sabbath-worshipping, arena-metal peaks. “The Doom” pulls together both poles, and the bluesy meander “El Lamento De Las Cabras” stakes out a new one.

Despite the success of 1991’s Dean-less Blind and the surprising return to form of 2005’s Mullin-less In The Arms of God, it’s no real gamble to say Corrosion of Conformity is at its best when Dean, Mullin and Weatherman are together. Hindsight is 20/20. But with this comeback, it looks like COC’s vision of the future is pretty sharp, too.

Corrosion of Conformity will be available via Candlelight Feb. 28.

I’ve had the MP3s for Home, the forthcoming third LP from Durham's Midtown Dickens, for just more than an hour, and that is nowhere near enough time to digest any record. But after only one listen, this much is evident: Home is a great step forward for the band. The album drops Feb. 28 via Chapel Hill’s Trekky Records, in the label's signature CD+LP+MP3 format.

The duo of Catherine Edgerton and Kym Register, which expanded to a quintet in the lead-up to 2010's Lanterns, now numbers four; multi-instrumentalists Will Hackney (who co-owns Trekky) and Jonathan Henderson contributed in many facets of the record’s creative process. The twee essence of the band’s early work has been steadily subsiding for a while now, and that transition continues on Home. There’s still a certain cuteness to Edgerton and Register’s wordplay, but here they’ve wrapped their songs in mature folk-rock arrangements—at times spare, at times lush, almost always smart.
Scott Solter (The Mountain Goats, Spoon, St. Vincent) produced the record, and his well-trained hand shows through in a mix of traditional Appalachian sounds and grand psychedelic accouterments. For a taste, see the video below, which comes scored by an absorbing instrumental swell that uses mostly acoustic instrumentation to reach a state of ruminative bliss; Home is filled with such transformative moments, making it an early reason to get excited for Triangle music in 2012.

Tracklist:
1. Home All Ways
2. Elephant
3. No More Reason (To Pine)
4. Only Brother
5. Apple Tree
6. Resting
7. Crocodile Mile
8. Walk, Don't You Run
9. Volcanoes (Covered In Snow)
10. Cross My Heart
11. This Is My Home

Midtown Dickens | Home from Trekky Records on Vimeo.

Southern Culture’s new Halloween-themed release, Zombified, is a look back as well as forward. That’s because eight tracks are remastered versions of a SCOTS 1998 Australian tour EP, Zombified, joined by five new songs. Befitting the theme, SCOTS exchange their usual fascination with redneck living for a horror movie set dressed in vampires, witches, zombies, undertakers and even a “Swamp Thing.” The EP dates to keyboardist Chris Bess’ time in the band, and the presence of his Hammond organ is a striking reminder of those old days. Since becoming a trio prior to 2004’s Mojo Box, they’ve (necessarily) pursued a more rock-oriented sound.

The keyboard’s effect is subtle—the low, tinkling piano rag in the corners of “She’s My Witch,” the haunting organ peals of the girl group goth-torch “Torture”—but it’s quite the welcome mood-setter. The latter is one of the disc’s highlights, showcasing bassist Mary Huff’s beautiful breathy alto. The slow-burn psychobilly of “Undertaker” is another gem; Miller’s reverb-laden surf/rockabilly guitar work shines particularly brightly here, thanks to some great snaking bluesy leads. Indeed, his playing throughout the entire album is stunning. Miller’s finest moment comes during the instrumental cover of Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Sinister Purpose.” His compact slashes of guitar distortion counterpoint Bess’ soul-soaked keyboards driving each other through the songs’ greasy grooves.

The new tracks match the tone and theme of the original EP, but they aren’t especially fetching. The performances are sharp, but the songs are lacking. Only the instrumental “The Creeper” really stands out. Much of SCOTS’ music’s been unjustly marginalized for the alleged gimmickry of its trailer-park satire, but this release truly is a novelty, suited mainly for its holiday conceit. But if not on par with their best, fans will still appreciate the terrific playing and smirking good humor.

Southern Culture on the Skids plays Motorco Music Hall tonight, Friday, Oct. 28. Their Halloween Hullaballoo features The Straight 8s, The Tremors, The Wiley Fosters and Ormon Grimsby's 3D movie. The 9 p.m. show costs $13—$15.

“Revolution of the Mind,” the new song from influential and underrated indie rock progenitors the dB's, does not sound like the work of a band that hasn't released new music since 1994. The tune, the band's first since the “classic” line-up began playing together again in 2005, is a burst of pop-rock energy with punk overtones and a rebellious message. Click here to download the MP3.

A leftover from the sessions for Falling Off the Sky, the band's forthcoming 2012 reunion album, the Peter Holsapple-fronted track rides a guitar lick that mimics a European police siren. It ricochets off of rock-solid bass and a backdrop chug of drums and rhythm guitar. Holsapple challenges modern notions of security, lashing out at his fellow 40-somethings for losing the revolutionary vigor of their youth: “Buying a Chevrolet is not a revolutionary act,” he taunts. An all-star effort by both local and national standards, the song features supplementary guitar work from Yo La Tango's Ira Kaplan and background vocals from The Old Ceremony's Django Haskins.

Feeding off the times, the band released the song in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. One of the song’s two music videos is directly tied to the spirit of the protest. Directed by Raleigh's Mike Allen, the clip splices footage of the occupation with other defiant acts, both fictional and historical, and a curiously placed black-and-white cartoon.

“The OWS movement, and similar movements throughout the country and the world, implies to me that, when something is wrong, you can't sit around wringing your hands and hoping for someone to activate change,” Holsapple says. “You have to take the matter into your own hands and make it happen yourself. Hopefully, as with OWS, you will find like-minded individuals who can add to your number, and with that burgeoning number you can feel a certain amount of strength that what you are doing is valid and right and important.”

Future Islands and Lonnie Walker will release a limited-edition 7" next Tuesday via Baltimore's Friend Records. We've got the Lonnie Walker track right here, for your downloading pleasure.