From The Black Keys to The White Stripes, The Mess Hall to The Cheats, two-piece bands are ultimately defined by their limitations. There is only so much sound two can make, so one thing these groups must strive for is an emphasis on performance and feeling. San Francisco’s Two Gallants are no different, blending unhinged ’70s riffs and acoustic Americana to a not always cohesive whole. Following a split in 2007, a couple of solo records and a car accident, Two Gallants’ Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel regrouped in 2012 for The Bloom And The Blight. There’s several moments here where they’re an unstoppably powerful beast, fashioning a ruckus you might imagine coming from their eight-legged kinfolk. Taken individually, songs like My Love Won’t Wait and Ride Away are rock solid screamers, and reaffirm the tight musical bond between the two. Having played together since before puberty hit, the profound and intuitive communication is palpable. The softer and folkier side to the band, displayed on Broken Eyes and Song Of Songs is passable enough, but it’s hard to get excited about these tender moments when they only serve as a breather between the deranged rockers. Like soon-to-be touring mates Deer Tick, you get the sense that live they really could become something else, and make you wail along to the heavens as you spill beer on the person in front of you. With all this potential shown, it’s disappointing that on The Bloom And The Blight, Two Gallants are merely decent.
BY NICK HILTON
Best Track: My Love Won’t Wait
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: LED ZEPPELIN, THE WHITE STRIPES
In A Word: Shredded
