Lots of indie-rock bands wear their influences on their sleeve. Austin’s White Denim betrays elements of the visceral rock of the Stooges, the minimalism of the Velvet Underground, and even the weird fusion of groups like the Minutemen or the Meat Puppets. But what White Denim possesses, unlike so many others, is the ability to meld those influences into a sound all its own. Though ostensibly a power trio, its members were dabbling in odd instrumentation and song structure even on their early EPs. Exposion (self-released) is their first official album (digital and vinyl only; they deem CDs “worthless”), and it makes a forceful statement. It’s not entirely the cohesive effort you might expect: Among showstoppers like “Transparency” and the eighties-ish “You Can’t Say” are some meandering tracks without focus. Yet this is a band with promise. James Petralli (son of Texas Rangers catcher Geno Petralli) drives the songs with his vocals and nimble guitar work, and he finds a rare synchronicity with drummer Josh Block and bassist Steve Terebecki that makes all three of them sound remarkably tight.
