Whiskeytown – “Theme for a Trucker” / “Heart Is Broken” / “The Strip” / “Houses on the Hill”

Their major-label debut still on the horizon, the pride of Raleigh, North Carolina, offers up this four-song vinyl missive in the meantime, shunning for the moment the Replacements trappings for a pure, acoustic country simplicity. Nothing here rocks in the least, which comes as somewhat of a surprise given the range of tempos the group displayed on its ’95 debut Faithless Street; then again, it really doesn’t matter, because this is beautiful stuff.

“Theme For A Trucker” is the honky-tonkiest ballad of the bunch, as you might guess from the title, with gentle pedal-steel accents from Bill Ladd (ex-Jolene) balanced evenly against Caitlin Cary’s fiddle by producer Chris Stamey (of dB’s fame), who also filled in on bass for these sessions. “Heart Is Broken” is a tear-jerking waltz highlighted by occasional moments of the best singing Ryan Adams has yet laid down to tape. “The Strip” is more elusive, a faraway vibe eventually brought home by those picture-perfect harmonies between Adams and Cary. “Houses On The Hill” is easygoing, minimalist, melodic folk-rock of the finest kind.

Taken together, these four songs represent an entirely different side of Whiskeytown than they established on their debut; then again, their current cut on the latest Bloodshot compilation Straight Outta Boone County, a cover of “Bottom Of The Glass,” represents still another side of their artistry. The more this band churns out, the clearer it becomes that they are every bit the band they’ve been made out to be, and more.