The Big Come Up

Dan Auerbach's voice is equal parts heartache and hellfire. He hollers with all the sass and sorrow of a drunk at last call, and his guitar playing is just as rambunctious -- going from fleet, foot-stompin' blues workouts to reverb-drenched garage-rock overdrive in a heartbeat. With backing from Patrick Carney, who pounds out sloshed, ramshackle rhythms on a broken drum kit, it all amounts to lots of weathered, world-weary thrills. "The Big Come Up" is one of the finest albums -- local or otherwise -- that we've heard all year. --Cleveland Scene