Coyote Kid is the Minneapolis-based artist formerly known as Marah in the Mainsail (not to be confused with the occasionally-Philadelphia-based band known as Marah). I should use the word "band", of course, but that would have thrown everything off. And Coyote Kid may yet revert to its old name yet. It's hard to tell if this is just a one-off. But if it is, Skeleton Man is an awfully fine one.

Coyote Kid The Skeleton Man (self-released)

There are elements of Americana in this sound, but not your usual Appalachian-based fare. As befits its name, Coyote Kid plays loud western music. Kind of like Thin White Rope without the psychedelia. The band likes to call the music cinematic, and there are certainly spaghetti western tropes at work in both the music and the lyrical story.

Did I mention that this album is a story? Not a concept album, per se, but a plot translated into song. I'm not one to pay much attention to lyrics (sorry), but even so I think these songs would have worked if the material wasn't connected. Each rises and falls like a well-constructed scene, and there's more than enough high plains spookiness to keep ears hooked.

And the noise. Coyote Kid isn't afraid to get really goddamned loud. I'm always a fan of dynamic range, and these folks do it right. If you've ever been in the desert when a storm rolls through, you know how this works. Quiet, thunder, rain and then, just when you think everything is fine, a flood crashes through the arroyo. Coyote Kid captures the scene.

Jon Worley