Album Notes

Ed Lemon and the Get Rights certainly display a diverse array of influences — the songs contained within the band’s debut, The Devil’s Beatin’ His Wife, produce sonic suggestions to Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Stones’ raunchier moments, early ‘90s alt-pop bliss a la Toad the Wet Sprocket (as on the majestic “Song on Bed), The Bends-era Radiohead and even a bit of Tom Waits. But Lemon and his band of merry melody makers might best be compared to local bar-rockers extraordinaire Josh Roberts and the Hinges; while Lemon doesn’t yet possess Roberts’ gift of gab, he dwells in similar character-song territory, be it on the impressively catchy “Skinny Bones” or the bleakly humorous “Blood Brothers.” But Lemon shows a great deal of striking wit and a remarkable affinity for bluesy stomps (most especially on the Josh-Roberts-cum-Modest Mouse stompfest “12 Eyes”) on his band’s eminently impressive debut, which will be released Thursday at the Five Points Pub. -Patrick Wall of Free-Times Columbia, SC