ARTIST:American Princes
ALBUM: Little Spaces (Yep Roc Records)

Originally put out last summer on Max Recordings, this re-release of Little Spaces by recent Yep Roc acquisition American Princes is a rock record constructed of sinew and sandpaper. Besotted and loose by design, this music has a brooding juke-joint soul. Though thoroughly rooted in traditional American rock, this Arkansas quartet writes with an indie-rock intelligence. From The Replacements to Pavement, the influences are a bit difficult to place but it definitely plays like informed music.

Touches of organs and acoustic guitar are here but the album's predominant texture is woven with rough and tough electric guitars. Rounding out the sonic fabric are the richly pained voices of David Slade and Collins Kilgore, whose cigarette bays provide the record's emotional linchpin.

The nocturnal, mildly twangy record spans a range of moods – from the tense, reckless swagger of "Man's World" to plaintive heartbreakers like "Eyeliner" – but they're best when they're opening a vein. To be sure, they rock with authority; they just bleed better. Among the best cuts are the ragged, weary rocker "I Want to be Good," the mounting ache of "Providence, RI," the forlorn last-call ballad "Eyeliner," and the acoustic prairie croon of "In the Dark."

Little Spaces may fall short of a homerun but the tunefulness and weathered tenderness herein are indicative of much talent and potential worth keeping watch for.

-- Bao Le-Huu, Orlando CityBeat Writer