Pitchfork

The cover of the new Howling Hex album (seen to the left there) proudly displays what appears to be a perfectly good title: Monster Bird. And, indeed, the music made by former Royal Trux frontguy Neil Michael Hagerty and his Howling Hex is sort of gossamer in a disarming, disfigured way. Why, then, did Howling Hex title their forthcoming album XI? Did Drag City mix them up with not-dissimilar labelmates and numeral aficianados the Fucking Champs? Or could they simply not decide between Monster Bird and Skull Tophat?

Anyway, on to the business of XI. The new disc gathers thirteen cuts from the spazzy, bluesy, stoney combo, puts a confusing cover on 'em, and offers itself to you for purchase August 28 on Drag City. There'll be a CD, sure, and a limited edition LP, too. Mostly, though, there's jams. Stone cold jams.

Neil and the rest will kick out said jams and some other ones besides at their single scheduled show, September 22 at San Francisco's Hemlock Tavern.

Skull Tophat:

01 Keychains
02 Fifth Dimensional Johnny B. Good
03 Martyr Lectures Comedian
04 Live Wire
05 Dr. Slaughter
06 Let Fridays Decide
07 Lines in the Sky
08 Save/Spend
09 Ambulance
10 Across the Street
11 Everybody's Doing It
12 The 88
13 Theme