Desperation

Before The White Stripes came along, plenty of other bands were playing trashy, bluesy garage rock with lots of attitude and squalling peripheral noise. Among the great cult bands that never made the covers of mainstream music magazines were Memphis' Oblivians, a trio that moved onto other things in 1997, only reuniting on rare occasions when it felt right. Upon learning that The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach had a Scully one-inch 8-track recorder at his Nashville studio, Oblivians' Greg Cartwright decided it was time to create anew. Along with Eric Friedl and Jack Yarber and a few guests, the trio traded songs and instruments and made a glorious noise that remains true to the down-and-dirty rock 'n' roll that they love and play like no other. Cut primarily live in the studio, the album features the magic of the retro-poppy "Little War Child," the harmonica-and-organ-augmented "Call the Police" (with special guests Mr. Quintron and Miss Pussycat), and the manic, off-key tumble in the dirt "Mama Guitar"; they make Desperation an instant classic.