000

The Delta 72's third album finds the hardest-working band in the indie-rock business progressing from uptempo maximum R&B reminiscent of '60s heroes like the Small Faces and the Rolling Stones to a looser, funkier sound based on those bands' '70s inheritors: the Faces and, well, the Rolling Stones. It's a bit of a shame that the incredible energy on their first two albums has been tempered slightly. Still, the Delta 72 rechannel that energy in other ways, from the testifying gospel bliss of the opener "Are You Ready?" to the outboard grooves and raucous vocals on "Just Another Let Down." Hammond organ or electric piano accompany many of the tracks, and though that's not a new addition to the Delta 72 sound, the way they're played points more to gospel and soul than the manic white-boy R&B they'd always championed. Later in the album are a few songs tied to their early sound, as well as a more experimental feedback track, but the majority of 000 charts a new direction for the band. ~ John Bush