Let’s step approximately fifteen minutes into the past, while I was listening to Corsicana Lemonade, by White Denim. My first thought as I hear the blunt, first A flat of the album was, “I’ve never heard a sound like that before.” And, it’s true. They have a very similar Stomp-Box blues tone to the Black Keys, but they also have this R&B, Indie, and Alternative vibe to them that just sends a chill through your spine.
White Denim is made up of powerhouse vocalist and guitarist James Petralli, technically amazing guitarist Austin Jenkins, notably tight bassist Steven Terebecki, and a John Bonham-Patrick Carney love-child drummer, Joshua Block. The band originated in Austin, Texas as a scraggly bearded trio who loved to play what they felt like playing. There really isn’t much difference now, except for that the singer shaved.
The album was recorded in a house in Corsicana—where the name of the album is derived from—in a living room with twenty five foot high vaulted ceilings. This caused the very open, reverberant, concert hall kind of tone to happen on this record. In fact, it was pretty loosely recorded, and it’s very obvious that it is. There wasn’t intense sound blocking pads or noise canceling software. The recording wasn’t really done extremely professionally, but rather sort of sloppily. This gave the record a much more natural vibe than the music that we hear on 106.1, or 93.3.
The record begins with a very in-your-face, upbeat, catchy melody that sucks you in and makes you want to hear more. “At Night in Dreams” is one of their more popular songs, and is one of my favorites on this album. It’s very grainy, and kind of sloppy, but in a good way. It radiates an interesting feeling to the listener.
The next track is titled after the name of the album— “Corsicana Lemonade.” Considering the assertive nature of the previous track, this track is kind of a step down in force, but not in speed and mood. It’s still very upbeat, but is much quieter, more echoey, and more eerie. The vocal track was duplicated and delayed by a couple milliseconds, so it sounds like he’s singing into a wall, and the sound waves are ricocheting back to him for the entire song. I kind of like it. My favorite part, however, IS THE DRUMS. You’ll hear Joshua Block’s talent in later tracks, but this is the first window opened into his prowess. This is a refreshing song, with a refreshing drum line.
“Limited by Stature” starts off with a tangy wah-wah intro. It then kicks into a very headbangy riff that beautifully weaves in with the vocal line. I saw them live, and this one was a blast to see them play.
“New Blue Feeling,” suggested by the name, starts as a bluesy, more depressing song. There’s a switchup, and we hear the iconic grainy White Denim upbeat vibe again. Another one of my favorites on the album. This one has a very compressed feel to it that I like.
“Come Back” is a very peppy James Brown, or Stevie Wonder-like song. It’s very on your feet, and has one of those grooves that feels like you’re in a scene in Footloose. It has an old-timer feel to it as well, and sounds very similar to early sixties one-hit wonder artists. This is a pretty interesting track.
“Distant Relative Salute” showcases James Petralli’s higher range, and is more of a jazzy bebop-ish tune. It later morphs into a harder alternative song, but the transition is absolutely extraordinary— I’ve never heard anything like it.
“Let It Feel Good (My Eagles)” is definitely the closest to Stomp-Box blues. It sounds similar to the progression of “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses (which is not one of my favorites), but the band puts a bluesy twist on it. It sounds like an old blues track from the 1940’s. It’s really cool. After about the two minute mark, it transfers back into that early sixties rockabilly/pop vibe.
“Pretty Green” is the most popular song off of the album, and was released separately as a single as well. It’s definitely up there in my favorite songs of all time. My band plays this song at almost every show as well—it’s a huge crowd pleaser. This song was actually the song that got me into White Denim. I love the transition from a standard rock beat to a jazzy beat with perfect timing. Joshua Block’s skill is exemplary here, and I love how you can hear the tap of his worn down drumstick on the ride cymbal bell. I also love how after the first transition back into the jazzy beat, the song opens up and makes you feel like you just walked out into the Fair Park Band Shell. I talk about this feeling a lot in music, as it is one of my favorites.
“Cheer Up/Blues Ending” is definitely the most musically challenging of all of their songs to actually play. I have huge respect for each of them as musicians, and this song is mainly why. Block’s drum lines are impeccable. The jazz chords and riffs from Petrialli and Jenkins seamlessly weave through the fabric of the song. Terebecki’s bass lines are solid. I love the ending as well— I envision a messy desk every time I hear it, but a messy desk where you know where everything is. It’s very disorganized—but you like it and don’t have a problem with it—because you know where everything is.
“A Place to Start” is ironically the last track on the album, and is very similar to a Velvet Underground or diluted Led Zeppelin tune. It’s the softest track as well, but it’s kind of a cool down after the wave of awe that just knocked you face first into the sand. The track is very calm, but it is also a very feel-good track, and ties the whole album together in a neat little bow. The outro is another Band Shell feeling as well.
Overall, I would give this album a 4.7 out of 5. That’s what it is in my iTunes library. I have listened to these songs all the way through for the umpteenth time now, and I still don’t ever get tired of them, and appreciate them more and more each time I listen to them. I wish there was more music like this in the top charts today. I respect talented and intelligent artists a lot, and they will definitely earn my points.
Cheers!
—Carter Elliott, ‘18
