Continuing the journey into trash begun on 2010's
Lucy & Wayne & the Amairican Stream,
Hymn for Her's third album
Lucy & Wayne's Smokin' Flames finds the duo acting like a purist hybrid of
White Stripes and
the Kills. Lucy & Wayne have more than a bit of
Jack White's hammy schtick, but where
White just called out to his sister Meg, Lucy & Wayne trade their call and response, conjuring a little bit of
the Kills' volatile chemistry. But where
Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince are obsessed with the present -- Hince dates Kate Moss, so by definition he has to be engaged with fashion -- Lucy & Wayne anchor all their rocking on acoustic guitars, overdubbing fuzzed-out freakouts and slide guitars to the bedrock strumming and plucking. The end result blares and distorts, often to invigorating effect, because it's hard not get swept up by a blitzkrieg blast of blues noise. Every so often, a trace of affect can be heard -- Wayne's wannabe
Howlin' Wolf growl on "Lucy Fur" is the most egregious -- but the duo compensates with moments of delicacy ("Burn This") and parched, atmospheric desert rock ("Mojave," "Chemicals") that have a widescreen western sweep neither
the Stripes or
the Kills ever attempted. This sense of dusty drama distinguishes
Hymn for Her, and helps make
Smokin' Flames a bit of trashy blues-rock worth exploring. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine