The band's fifth album throws back to 1970s-era rock n' roll. (Photo via whitedenimmusic.com)

Following a successful year of touring in 2012 that included playing at the popular Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the band enlisted the help of Jeff Tweedy, who fronts the alternative rock band Wilco (whom White Denim supported on their tour last year), in producing the band’s first new album in two years, the longest time between releases for the band.

However, despite the extended timeline in making the new record, the results are underwhelming and unoriginal.

Compared to the band’s older releases – characterized by a unique, high-energy garage rock feel – “Corsicana Lemonade” feels like a regurgitation of 1970s-era rock without the modern twists other Southern rock ensembles add to their classic foundations.

The first song, “At Night in Dreams,” with its old-school opening guitar riff, has that annoying quality of sounding as though it could belong to any number of bands from my grandparents’ generation – most notably ZZ Top. Similarly, songs “Come Back” and “Corsicana Lemonade” hearken back to the early country-infused rock tunes of The Allman Brothers Band, characterized by complex guitar-driven melodies. 

Sampling different sounds of the expansive classic rock super genre, White Denim experiments with different (antiquated) styles throughout the album. For example, while “Let It Feel Good (My Eagles)” and “Pretty Green” exhibit a folk rock vibe whereas “Cheer Up / Blues Ending” and “New Blue Feeling” are much bluesier in tone. Additionally, “Limited by Stature” offers a more psychedelic taste, closer to their older (more original) music. 

While the guitar is the most distinguished instrument of the album, soft vocals shine through on a couple of tracks. On “Distant Relative Salute,” a background of light drums and mellow guitars accent the soulful singing that carries the song. Furthermore, “A Place to Start” ends the album on a laidback note, allowing the soothing vocals to be much more dominant than on much of the record. However, while the vocals are marginally enjoyable when uninspired guitar grooves do not overpower them, they sound too close to Norman Greenbaum or Steve Miller to be truly refreshing.

Although White Denim have a lot of experience as musicians, evident in the complicated melodies that dominate the songs, their latest effort seems more like a unadventurous regression to clichés of classic rock than a progression of the band’s sound.

Read more of NT's album reviews here.