Patterson Hood

Patterson Hood

Killers & Stars (New West) If you know Patterson Hood at all, you've heard his band, Athens, Ga.'s, Drive-by Truckers. DBT has almost single-handedly reinvigorated Southern Rock with their three-guitar lineup and shows that are loud, proud, and sweat-soaked to the bone. Hood has been selling homemade copies of Killers & Stars periodically at DBT tour stops and the occasional solo gig since 2001. It's stark and lo-fi, haunting, beautiful, and ragged. Recorded alone to four-track in his kitchen, Killers was born out of a difficult time for Hood. He had just gotten divorced and the band was in a battle for survival that turned into their epic Southern Rock Opera. While some of the emotions the band explores are dark and troubled, the tunes here come from some place deeper. There's a demo quality to the project that some might compare to Springsteen's Nebraska or Neil Young's On the Beach/Tonight's the Night period, but Hood possesses more than enough of his own voice – both as songwriter and singer – to make it unique. He ponders romantic obsessions on "Frances Farmer," whose picture graces Killers' cover, and "Cat Power," while "Phil's Transplant" is a lucid character sketch about a woman who no longer recognizes her husband after he's received a new heart. Meanwhile, "Fire" and "Belinda Carlisle Diet" are brief and seemingly incomplete, yet filled with the rage of Hood's punk rock roots. While obviously not for everyone, Killers & Stars is sure to sink in deep with those unafraid to face unfeigned emotions.