Jshogren + Shanghai’d

God Bless These Crooked Little SongsJaha ****

By day he is an economics professor at the University of Wyoming (plus a leading light on climate change). But when the sun goes down, Jason Shogren changes into a champion of what he terms “pulp Americana”. What this “hard acoustic roots music” entails, as these 13 tracks repeatedly show, is the reimagining of a whole slew of stylesfrom country to blues, polkas, rockabilly etc. For example,

A Long Line could be a frenetic theme for an offbeat western, while Rolls Her Own oscillates between soft acoustic guitar and robust rock'n'roll in a persistent if not perfectionist manner. There are many influences, but Shogren and his band have their own idiosyncratic ways: wry and reflective, fiery and bizarre, and never dull. Who could resist Radiohead's classic recast as Creepolka? jshogren.com

Download:A Long Line, Curry