American Thunder, the new album from Harrison Hudson, is an unexpected treat from the Nashville outfit. Lo-fi production fuses with ambitious sing-alongs to create an unassailable combination. It’s been a while since I’ve heard songs so tightly structured around linear-sequential, narrative storytelling. “Bookstore Girl” could become a winter semester anthem in Cambridge, Madison and Ann Arbor. “Cherish The One You Got” takes a twee sensibility and ages it like a fine wine, like a post-pubescent b-side from Who Will Cut Our Hair When We Are Gone. The single, “Every Girl”, is lovely enough but one of the safer songs on the album. However, that’s the mark of a great LP, when the deep cuts are indistinguishable from the singles. The pedigree is apparent: Big Star, Guided By Voices, Magnetic Fields. (Also listed on their Facebook page is Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Ricky Nelson.) But then you hear The Crystals-esque backing vocals on “Run My Way” and all comparisons go out the window. I want to put this review in a time capsule for three months, because when the songs are there, the replay value is a given. Bravo, Harrison Hudson! American Thunder is my favorite album of Q4 2011. Contributed by Chris Gedos

INFO: (Official)

Rating 8.7