White Denim | ||
| Allmusic Biography : A freewheeling indie rock combo from Austin, Texas, White Denim is built around core members James Petralli (vocals, guitars) and Steve Terebecki (bass). Drawing from psychedelic/garage rock, punk, funk, jazz, blues, and prog rock influences, the group fashioned a hard-hitting sound with crunchy guitar riffs and frantic energy. After making their recording debut as a power trio with the Lets Talk About It EP in 2007, they expanded their lineup and their sound with their first album as a quartet, 2011s D. The band debuted on U.S. and U.K. album charts with their fifth LP, 2013s Corsicana Lemonade, and 2016s Stiff reached the U.K. Top 20. All veterans of the Austin music scene, Petralli, Terebecki, and drummer Josh Block formed White Denim in 2005. Block and Petralli had previously played together in the alt-rock outfit Parque Torche, while Terebecki was a member of Peach Train. The 7" EP Lets Talk About It marked the bands studio debut in 2007. They recorded the tour-exclusive Workout Holiday EP later the same year, and in 2008, the group retooled many of their older songs for Explosion, White Denims first full-length release. The band had amassed a sizable audience in the U.K. by this point, prompting the sophomore album Fits to hit British shores several months before its American release in October 2009. The following year, the group expanded their lineup to include second guitarist Austin Jenkins, and they self-released Last Day of Summer, which cleared out song ideas theyd been bouncing around for the previous four years. In 2011, White Denim issued their fourth album, D, on Downtown Records. In 2012, the group joined Wilco on tour for select dates in the U.S. and Canada, and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy produced two tracks on White Denims fifth full-length release, 2013s Corsicana Lemonade. The record marked their album chart debuts in the U.S. and the U.K., reaching number 147 on the Billboard 200 and number 65 on the U.K. Top 75. They followed it up a year later with The Pretty Green EP, and in 2015, Josh Block and Austin Jenkins parted ways with the group. Petralli and Terebecki recruited guitarist Jonathan Horne and drummer Jeffrey Olson, and the revamped four-piece headed into the studio with producer Ethan Johns. They re-emerged in March 2016 with their sixth long-player, Stiff. It became a Top 20 album in the U.K., and also reached the Top 20 of the U.S. alternative and independent albums charts. Petralli and Terebecki returned with another album in 2018, this time with keyboardist Michael Hunter and drummer Conrad Choucroun (NRBQ). Titled Performance, it marked White Denims debut with City Slang Records. A slightly more experimental companion album, Side Effects, arrived in 2019 and featured the tracks "Shanalala," and "NY Money." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 11 Title: Workout Holiday Released: 2008-06-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Let’s Talk About It (03:53) 2 Shake Shake Shake (02:37) 3 Sitting (02:16) 4 I Can Tell You (01:57) 5 Mess Your Hair Up (04:48) 6 Heart From Us All (03:10) 7 Are You Really Have to Do (02:48) 8 Look That Way at It (03:25) 9 Darksided Computer Mouth (02:15) 10 WDA (03:03) 11 Don’t Look That Way at It (04:03) 12 IEIEI (03:13) |
 | Album: 2 of 11 Title: Exposion Released: 2008-10-19 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Dont Look That Way at It (04:02) 2 Transparency (02:27) 3 IEIEI (03:11) 4 WDA (02:58) 5 Heart From All of Us (03:09) 6 You Cant Say (02:42) 7 Shake Shake Shake (02:37) 8 All You Really Have to Do (02:48) 9 All Truckers Roll (02:38) 10 Migration Wind (04:36) 11 Sitting (05:24) |
 | Album: 3 of 11 Title: Fits Released: 2009-06-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 36:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Radio Milk How Can You Stand It (03:53) 2 All Consolation (02:55) 3 Say What You Want (02:51) 4 El Hard Attack DCWYW (01:58) 5 I Start to Run (02:52) 6 Sex Prayer (02:04) 7 Mirrored and Reverse (03:54) 8 Paint Yourself (03:25) 9 Id Have It Just the Way We Were (02:19) 10 Everybody Somebody (02:53) 11 Regina Holding Hands (03:29) 12 Syncn (04:19) |
| Fits : Allmusic album Review : Like the Minutemen, White Denim are a versatile and wholly original trio and never appear to be trying that hard. Theyre not pretty-faced rockers with aspirations of fame and fortune. Theyre the beer-drinking sort, who just picked up instruments and formed a band because they could; dudes first and foremost, musicians second. But the kicker is that theyre astonishingly good. Texas bandmates Josh Block, Steve Terebecki, and James Petralli have a binding chemistry and a willingness to shift styles at the drop of a hat, as they tear through garage punk to free jazz to psychedelic to prog -- sometimes in the course of a single song. Fits is an appropriate title for White Denims debut, not just because of the fabric reference, but also because the album is a big heaping pile of nervous fits. The snappy "I Start to Run" begins with stark bass and drums and turns into spazzy blues-based Nuggets rock, before falling into an abyss of prog-on-peyote scales. "Sex Prayer" is a blend of dubby delays and organ rock that becomes increasingly trippy, complete with a head-fake fadeout around the three-minute mark. Meanwhile, the furiously thrashing "El Hard Attack DCWYW," with its Latino-punk eruption, is stark contrast to the acoustic sweetness of "Regina Holding Hands." Fits seems custom-made for vinyl, with a second half that sounds like the works of a completely different band. Side one is more rambunctious (with stoner rock and garage twists), and side two is more sweet (with elements of soul, alternative, and 70s AM rock). Neither half is at all traditional, though. A weird psychedelic mindset is woven through everything, and even though everything constantly seems on the verge of combustion, the songs on Fits always manage to hold together and work themselves out with exciting, engaging results. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 11 Title: Last Day of Summer Released: 2010-09-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Id Have It Just the Way We Were (02:47) 2 Home Together (03:29) 3 Tony Fatti (02:41) 4 If Youre Changing (03:58) 5 Incaviglia (03:15) 6 Light Light Light (04:19) 7 Some Wild Going Outward (04:16) 8 Champ (03:01) 9 Shy Billy (02:18) 10 Our Get (03:00) 11 Through Your Windows (03:00) 12 New Coat (02:42) |
| Last Day of Summer : Allmusic album Review : As a stopgap between 2009’s Fits and 2011’s D, White Denim released the free digital download Last Day of Summer. With a title that could indicate the end of an era, and with the debut of new member guitarist Austin Jenkins, the album found the band heading in a new direction (actually, all directions at once) and showcased the foursome at its most experimental. Presumably, most of the tracks were leftovers from the D recording sessions, since that album was released only a few months later. Still, whether the songs are actual B-sides or just a chance for the band to blow off some warm steam in its off hours, the music was more challenging than one would expect from throwaways. Last Day of Summer is surely weirder than their actual album material, but it’s compelling to watch a band rooted in garage rock go so far out of its comfort zone, try some uncharted styles (jazz, prog, tropicalia, and psych-folk), and still come up with some winners. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 11 Title: D Released: 2011-05-24 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Its Him! (03:22) 2 Burnished (02:36) 3 At The Farm (03:58) 4 Street Joy (03:36) 5 Anvil Everything (03:59) 6 River To Consider (05:00) 7 Drug (03:03) 8 Bess St. (03:39) 9 Is and Is and Is (03:45) 10 Keys (04:02) |
| D : Allmusic album Review : After Fits, White Denim made a few big changes. They expanded from a power trio to a four-piece with second guitarist Austin Jenkins, and then moved out of their studio/practice space, a Silver Bullet caravan on the outskirts of Austin where they recorded their first two albums. Thanks to the new duel guitar attack and increased studio tools at their disposal, D takes a new approach, with a warmer, acoustic spirit and a more expansive, swirly psychedelic style. Luckily, the added production value (and occasional flute solo or dreamy string arrangement) does nothing to water down the band’s muscular interplay. Bassist Steve Terebecki and drummer Josh Block are still at the top of their game as one of the most badass rhythm sections this side of Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, while Jenkins and James Petralli play off one another perfectly, intertwining jazzy guitar noodling, prog scales, and rock riffs. Despite the high level of playing and stretched interludes, the songs never feel busy just for the sake of being showy. Everything is tightly structured, and melodies are of the highest importance, especially in the album’s explosive single “Drug,” which blends a raw groove and Southern Americana slack along with Summer of Love lyrics. Since the band cooked up an excellent 12 songs in only a few weeks last year (which they made available as a free download titled the Last Day of Summer), it should come as no surprise that the laboriously constructed follow-up is a masterpiece. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 11 Title: Live at Third Man Released: 2011-09-06 Tracks: 11 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 It’s Him (?) 2 Burnished (?) 3 At the Farm (?) 4 Say What You Want (?) 5 Street Joy (?) 6 Anvil Everything (?) 7 Drug (?) 8 Bess St. (?) 9 Shake Shake Shake (?) 10 River Consider (?) 11 Is and Is and Is (?) |
 | Album: 7 of 11 Title: Takes Place In Your Work Space Released: 2011-11-15 Tracks: 4 Duration: 15:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Cat City (03:31) 2 No Real Reason (05:21) 3 Handwriting (04:12) 4 Company (02:55) |
 | Album: 8 of 11 Title: Corsicana Lemonade Released: 2013-10-29 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 At Night in Dreams (04:04) 2 Corsicana Lemonade (03:20) 3 Limited by Stature (02:29) 4 New Blue Feeling (03:18) 5 Come Back (03:19) 6 Distant Relative Salute (03:16) 7 Let It Feel Good (My Eagles) (03:44) 8 Pretty Green (04:09) 9 Cheer Up / Blues Ending (05:33) 10 A Place to Start (04:37) |
| Corsicana Lemonade : Allmusic album Review : Austin, Texas White Denim have matured considerably over the years, from a shambolic, punk-influenced trio to an experimental and often psychedelic-tinged roots quartet. Some of this growth came with the addition of guitarist Austin Jenkins in 2010, who brought a bluesy, country-tinged quality to the band that was more Allman Brothers than Minutemen. The bands fifth studio album, 2013s Corsicana Lemonade, showcases even more growth from the band with a set of earthy, often jam-oriented songs showcasing the one-two punch of Jenkins and lead singer/songwriter James Petralli. Petralli has a soulful yawp of a voice that’s equal parts blues singer and folk troubadour, and often brings to mind the Black Keys Dan Auerbach. Working with producer Jim Vollentine (Spoon, White Rabbits, Court Yard Hounds), as well as Wilcos Jeff Tweedy, who produced two cuts on Corsicana Lemonade, White Denim dig even deeper into their own brand of serpentine roots rock. While the album holds together well, there are some minor but discernible differences between the two producers tracks, with Vollentine engineering the more aggressive, blues-soaked cuts and Tweedy handling the summery, soft rock atmosphere of "Distant Relatives" and "A Place to Start." Elsewhere, tracks like "At Night in Dreams," with its fluid, rat-a-tat blues riffs and Steely Dan-esque mid-section, and "Come Back," which finds Petralli attempting to out Southern-drawl the Black Crowes Chris Robinson, are worlds away from the fractured, arty, garage punk of the band’s debut. Instead, White Denim delve headlong into several hippie-hash ramblers and twang-heavy psych-country anthems here, including two Beatles-sounding cuts with "Limited by Stature," and "New Blue Feeling." In some ways, White Denim have always hinted at a deeper, more organic approach to making music; they are a Texas guitar band after all. However, regardless of the musical ingredients that went into this album, Corsicana Lemonade is their most down-home batch of sweet southern brew yet. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 11 Title: Stiff Released: 2016-03-25 Tracks: 9 Duration: 35:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Had 2 Know (Personal) (04:06) 2 Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah) (03:53) 3 Holda You (I’m Psycho) (03:59) 4 Theres a Brain in My Head (03:33) 5 Take It Easy (Ever After Lasting Love) (03:27) 6 (Im the One) Big Big Fun (04:16) 7 Real Deal Momma (03:48) 8 Mirrored in Reverse (04:05) 9 Thank You (04:38) |
| Stiff : Allmusic album Review : Its hard to sound nervous and soulful at the same time, but White Denim manage that remarkable accomplishment on their sixth album, 2016s Stiff. The edgy energy thats long been the bands trademark is present in abundance here, which is welcome news since Stiff debuts a new White Denim lineup. On Stiff, singer and guitarist James Petralli and bassist Steve Terebecki are joined by new guitarist Jonathan Horne and drummer Jeffrey Olson. The new combination has much of the same combustible bounce thats been White Denims hallmark, but theyre just as agile with the plentiful R&B; grooves on this set. Petrallis vocals often take on a bluesy sway and a soulful growl, while the guitar crosstalk between Petralli and Horne gives the tunes a pleasing jammy swagger. Terebecki and Olson are one powerful rhythm section on Stiff, sounding familiar and effective on tough rock & roll stutter-steps as well as looser R&B; grooves. And producer Ethan Johns gives this material a welcome sense of color and shade while letting the band shine through clear and direct. Stiff is admirably short on gingerbread, and puts its focus squarely on the interplay between the four musicians. The tone here is frequently playful, especially when Petralli lets his blue-eyed soul accents come forth. But the attack is taut and the force of this music is no joke. White Denim sound as strong as ever on Stiff, even when the itchy undertone of the songs begins to rise to the surface. And who knows, the whole feeling-good-and-getting-down thing might catch on with White Denim if Stiff is any indication. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 11 Title: Performance Released: 2018-08-24 Tracks: 9 Duration: 32:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Magazin (03:38) 2 Performance (02:25) 3 Fine Slime (04:45) 4 Double Death (03:27) 5 Moves On (03:52) 6 It Might Get Dark (03:36) 7 Sky Beaming (03:18) 8 Backseat Driver (03:16) 9 Good News (04:21) |
| Performance : Allmusic album Review : In the 2010s, a new White Denim album has coincided with a lineup change, and Performance sticks to the trend with two new recruits. This time out, keyboardist Michael Hunter and former NRBQ drummer Conrad Choucroun join original bandmembers James Petralli and Steve Terebecki for their ninth studio album. New blood has done little to radically change the Texas garage rockers sound, and while technically theres very little to criticize, Performance never feels wholly fulfilling. The upbeat lilt of the title track is indicative of the records prevalent good-time vibe, and the lack of variation, such as their weirder urges, have been somewhat curtailed in favor of straight-forward grooves. As much as the melodic grind of "Magazine" beguiles, its also frustratingly familiar, much like the freak-out jam "Fine Slime." The grimy, winding riffs of "Moves On" are just another example of the band dampening their psych tendencies in favor of more routine garage rock, yet the T. Rex-ish "It Might Get Dark" is nevertheless a great deal of fun. Elsewhere, the funk rhythms and Petrallis soulful falsetto on "Double Death" add an additional texture to an album that largely forgoes the fidgety rawness of yore. The bright closer "Good News" is a fitting conclusion to a record with such a rosy disposition, and one whose brevity is one of its strengths. Performance may be lacking in progress, but the effortlessness of their experiments is still very much present, and nine albums in, White Denim remain as playful as ever. Overall, longtime fans of the band are likely to be satisfied, if not dazzled, by their latest effort. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 11 Title: Side Effects Released: 2019-03-29 Tracks: 9 Duration: 29:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Small Talk (Feeling Control) (02:32) 2 Hallelujah Strike Gold (03:17) 3 Shanalala (02:45) 4 NY Money (06:48) 5 Out of Doors (01:05) 6 Reversed Mirror (03:38) 7 So Emotional (03:01) 8 Head Spinning (02:19) 9 Introduce Me (03:31) |