Trona

Though they hail from Boston, Trona's soul seems to be in the west. The band is named after a little town deep in Death Valley, and seems most comfortable when it's mixing wiry, slightly claustrophobic, East Coast indie rock with the ringing chords and the melancholy of rock music made near the pull of the desert. "Red Hot Slag" opens up Trona, showcasing the co-ed vocals of Christian Dyas and Mary Ellen Leahy over a tensile two-chord riff; it's followed by "Web," which could be a Pixies take on sludgy country-rock. The album's midsection moves toward the bright sun; unsurprisingly, "Tucson" mixes jangle with a big lead electric that rings like an amplifier in the desert. "Branded" takes the Southwest feel even further with its bustling country beat and a lead vocal suggestive of Paula Frazer's work with Tarnation. Trona ends a bit surprisingly, with a rocked-up version of Stereolab's "Wow and Flutter" that sounds more like a Yo La Tengo cover than anything.