By Todd Anderson

It’s fairly difficult for any indie rock band to swing with any credible authenticity—perhaps the genre’s innate bookishness prevents its players from getting the rhythm just right. Still, many a liberal arts college student has delved into the bins of his local used record store and discovered a love for the hip-thrusting rhythms of the early days of rock ’n’ roll. Then he’ll turn around and try to capture the same feel with his own band—usually with little success.

But two recent releases have us questioning the notion that the indie set can’t swing. One is by The Gossip, who play rock ’n’ roll stripped to its barest essentials: one guitar, a set of drums, and a large-lunged, beehive-coifed frontwoman. The trio’s howl and shake is well represented on their debut full-length, That’s Not What I Heard, released earlier this year by Kill Rock Stars. The two instruments keep everything simple—the guitar often plays one-string riffs while the drums pound every beat. The lack of a bass hardly even registers, thanks to the impressive voice of singer Beth. At times, her voice resembles that of Glenn Danzig—a punk rock Elvis if there ever was one. Alternately howling and whispering, she belts out songs with an undeniable enthusiasm.

The album plays like The Gossip’s live set, jumping from one song to the next with little pause. “Hott Date” and “Bones” stand out for their loud-soft dynamics, while the double-shot of “Got Body If You Want It” and “Where the Girls Are” is propelled by guitarist Nathan’s blues-riffing and Beth’s urgent vocals. The subject matter is almost exclusively sex, which is absolutely appropriate for The Gossip’s blues-charged rock. The 14 songs don’t even take up 25 minutes; more than one repeat of the chorus is rare. And that’s good for the band. Their music is greatly limited by their instrumentation, so it’s to their benefit that they don’t attempt anything longer.

This band should not be missed live, where the similarity of their songs just keeps bodies moving. The record is a great capture of that sound, but it’s not one that will sustain repeated listenings. After a while, the songs start to blur together. But for fun, hip-shakin’ rock ’n’ roll, one could do much worse.

The Causey Way are a different type of band, to say the least. They insist they’re some sort of religious revivalists, and they play it so straight that you might start to believe them. But calling the songs on their new release Causey vs. Everything “hymns” (as they do) is more than a little misleading. The brief tunes have more energy than a month of Sundays. Part of the fun of this group is that the 10 members (who trade off playing on various songs) all go by pseudonyms: They’re led by “Causey” and include Red Causey, Dr. St. Causey, Boy Causey (a.k.a. “Brian” of Man or Astroman?), The Truth, The Button, and Summer Phoenix.

One might suspect the sounds of 10 collaborators would be a little disjointed, but the only evidence of the band’s collectivism is in the rotating lineup of singers. “Te Como Vivo,” the first track on the record, is an impassioned introduction. It starts off with simple, slow piano but soon pulses with synthesizers and a tight bass/drums rhythm. Neither cold nor alien like so much synthesizer-driven music, the song is warm and welcoming. It doesn’t hurt that the husky, feminine, Spanish voice—belonging, we can only assume, to The Truth—is amazingly sexy.

“Te Como Vivo” sets the tone for the rest of the album. As with The Gossip, the heart of The Causey Way’s sound lies in their palpable passion. They believe so much in what they’re doing that, like any good missionaries (or con men), they’re able to convince their audience to believe as well. Smack-dab in the middle of the record, the one-two punch of “Ana Caelo” and “Take Your Chances” should convert what few agnostics are still listening. The simple keyboards and Casio drumbeat of “Ana Caelo” allow The Truth to wrap her low female voice around the speakers. And “Take Your Chances” takes great advantage of the different timbres of the singers’ voices: “Don’t chance it, don’t chance it,” The Truth cautions alluringly, while Causey counters with hyper shouts, “Take your chances, take your chances!”

With its shout-along vocals, the sonic blast of “U.F.O.” closes the album (not counting the “hidden track,” an answering-machine message from Wesley Willis) and makes for the perfect climax.

If for no other reason than the fact that these two groups believe they can swing, twist, and bump with the best of them, we should pay attention to them. The disenfranchised wallflowers of yesterday’s indie scene may be the life of tonight’s party.

Platters that matter

Recent releases of note:

Aerosmith, Just Press Play (Columbia) Judging by the one new song they played at the Super Bowl halftime show, Aerosmith may finally be ready to drop the overproduced assault of their ’90s output in favor of a return to street-level rock with killer hooks. Or maybe that was just the ♦NSync influence.

Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash (Ultimatum) Despite the impudent name, this San Diego quintet has no “alt” in their country. This is old-school, steel-guitar-drenched, sincere-as-a-Hallmark card, crooning-with-passion country music, recommended for fans of ’70s Merle Haggard and tightly played honky-tonk.

Blake Babies, God Bless the Blake Babies (Zöe/Rounder) John Strohm (of Antenna), Freda Love (of Mysteries of Life), and Juliana Hatfield (of decade-old alternarock magazine covers) reunite for 13 new songs that we hope will hark back to the bitter but sprightly guitar-rock of their original incarnation.

Luna, Luna Live! (Arena Rock Recording Co.) After five albums of guitar heroism and hypnotic drone, Dean Wareham’s well-loved rock act sums up its first decade with a set that highlights its intricate, emotional live performances. If done right, this should be essential.

The Motels, Anthologyland (Oglio) A two-CD collection from a band with only two hits (“Only the Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer”) may seem excessive, but fans of Martha Davis’ West Coast pop balladeers have often claimed that The Motels never got their due, and the unreleased tracks, live cuts, and B-sides on this anthology might make their case.

Pearl Jam, Domestic Bootlegs (Epic) Following up on its egalitarian (to a fault) release of every one of its European shows on CD, Eddie Vedder and company will now present every 2000 US tour date in its entirety on disc. Collect ’em all and make your own ultimate Pearl Jam show, since they can’t be bothered to do it for you.

Amy Ray, Stag (Daemon) Working without longtime Indigo Girls partner Emily Saliers, Ray indulges her impulse toward raw passion on her solo debut, enlisting the help of Kelly Hogan, The Rock♦A♦Teens, The Butchies, former members of Luscious Jackson and The Breeders, and former Sugar sideman (and indie rock producer) David Barbe.

The Rosenbergs, Mission: You (DGM) After surviving a bidding war, this New York power-pop quartet get to prove it on the field with their second LP and semi-major-label debut. Luckily, they have the chops to merit the hype—Mission: You is a toe-tapping charmer in the vein of Zumpano and Fountains of Wayne, the best rock album of this still-young year.

Soft Boys, Underwater Moonlight (Matador) The 1980 college radio classic returns in a new two-CD package with over 20 alternate takes and/or unreleased songs joining the 10 psychedelic-pop masterpieces that first introduced America to Robyn Hitchcock’s shadowy worldview and Kimberly Rew’s sunny guitar playing. The band is reuniting for a tour this spring to celebrate the rerelease.

Trick Pony (Warner Bros.) These Wildhorse regulars have the likes of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings on their debut album, which should give some idea as to what brand of country they play; they’re on the “outlaw” end of the spectrum, steeped in rock rhythms as much as teary slow dancing. Trick Pony’s most potent weapon is the yelp of lead singer Heidi Newfield—a classy, brassy “new country” femme fatale.

The Willard Grant Conspiracy, Everybody’s Fine (Slow River/Rykodisc) The third LP from this Boston folk-rock commune—founded by Robert Fisher and Paul Austin and featuring whomever happens to be at their home studios on any given day—isn’t much of a departure from their earlier work. Their songs are still vivid and toe-tapping, with awe-inspiring arrangements that bring into cohesion anywhere from two to 20 distinct musical elements.

Young Fresh Fellows vs. The Minus 5, “Because We Hate You” vs. “Let The War Against Music Begin” (Mammoth/Malt) Scott McCaughey’s two bands collide in a double-CD package as he revives his cult garage-pop band Young Fresh Fellows and stacks them alongside his lusher collective The Minus 5 (which features Peter Buck and Sean O’Hagan). Both discs are catchy and buoyant—minor delights.

Young Fresh Fellows vs. The Minus 5, “Because We Hate You” vs. “Let The War Against Music Begin” (Mammoth/Malt) Scott McCaughey’s two bands collide in a double-CD package as he revives his cult garage-pop band Young Fresh Fellows and stacks them alongside his lusher collective The Minus 5 (which features Peter Buck and Sean O’Hagan). Both discs are catchy and buoyant—minor delights.