Last Call For Vitriol

The music industry used to kick and scream over bands like Superdrag. In fact, they used to kick and scream over Superdrag themselves. The Knoxville, Tennessee–based quartet pack barroom poetry, a powerful guitar crunch, and pop melodies that necessitate the use of the worn-out term “Beatlesque,” into gloriously tight tunes. Strangely though, their über-accessible sound is relegated to the margins: they’re a favorite of college radio and hipster record stores but their fourth record won’t get them within spitting distance of mainstream success, despite the record’s considerable charms. “Feeling Like I Do” distills singer/guitarist John Davis’ drunken heartbreak into five minutes of primal, irresistible power-pop. Echoes of the Jayhawks’ inspired early recordings ripple through the loping, steel pedal delight “Safe & Warm,” while “Drag Me Closer To You” flexes some heretofore unseen southern-rock muscle. Sadly, there seems to be no room amongst all the rap-rock boneheads and soul-deadening Alice In Chains rip-offs on modern-rock radio for a band that plays sharp, smart rock ’n roll. It’s their fucking loss.