Now is now again for the Flatlanders, the Lubbock troika that released a comeback album in 2002, thirty years after its members, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock, first disbanded. Wheels of Fortune (New West) is a pleasing set but one that doesn't share its predecessor's collaborative jitters. Unlike Now Again, which was mostly co-written, there's scarcely a shared credit here. Still, Ely's "Neon of Nashville" and Hancock's wry "Eggs of Your Chickens" are worthy additions, and a pair of Gilmore-penned gems are nicely resuscitated. Hancock—whose voice seems to be growing richer with age— delivers a sublime "Deep Eddy Blues," while Ely completely inhabits "Midnight Train." Otherwise, it's a mixed bag. Reviewed by John Morthland
You couldn't make this up. Four bored homeschooled Tyler siblings, ages 15 to 21, recruit a family friend and form a band. First they perform for customers at their parents' coffee shop. Then they open for Coldplay at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. Lucky? Maybe, but Eisley is no teen flash in the pan. Their self-released debut EP was full of the sort of hook-laden, melodic rock that makes major labels salivate. One did. Marvelous Things (Reprise), their four-song follow-up (an album is due later this year), finds melancholy harmonies only sisters could create, gliding over heavy, yet never heavy-handed, rock backing. Charming without being cloying, Eisley remains all but impossible to resist. Reviewed by John Morthland
Milton Mapes
Westernaire
Aspyr
Deep Ellum transplants Milton Mapes might call Austin home these days, but their full-length debut, Westernaire (Aspyr), roams the rugged Charles Starkweather High Plains. Think Neil Young and Crazy Horse in their heyday or the kind of reverent alt-country your favorite bands are way too self-conscious to play anymore. Songwriter Greg Vanderpool (who named the group after his grandfather) dredges raw emotion from a whisper, which the band builds to a roar with cinematic flair. Reviewed by John Morthland
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