Not interested in sweating it out with the babies to warehouse psychedelia at Nashville’s Dead’s third birthday? Echo Group has got you covered. The past six months have been a prolific spree of Killers-esque, crooning rock ’n’ roll for the band, anchored by members of defunct ‘Boro heavyweights We Were the States. Their latest release, July’s
Challtalk Record Collection II, is a comfortable, familiar set of guitar-forward indie-rock tunes that recall Nashville’s indie rock scene, pre-garage-rock boom. But if that sounds too classy, maybe you’d prefer an act with “Whore” in the name? Tipper Whore makes its first public appearance, armed to the teeth with ultra-lo-fi pop songs about getting day-drunk. The band comes off like the ideal soundtrack to a John Waters movie — lovingly trashy and relentlessly upbeat. Ubiquitous hip-hoppers The Greater Good also play this Wounded Warrior Project benefit show.
— Lance Conzett