Although the members of Minneapolis'
Missing Numbers have histories in the roots rock scene (drummer
Johnny Crist was in
the Dashboard Saviors and keyboardist
Bob McCreedy is ex-
Volebeats), the group's debut album has much more in common with the noir blues-rock of Boston trio
Morphine than the average alt-country act. This is due in large part to singer/songwriter
Jimmy Peterson's dusky,
Mark Sandman-style sing-speak voice and the conversational tone of lyrics like "The Trouble with You" and "This Is Nowhere." The songs are mostly minor-key blues, staying away from standard-issue 4/4 beats in favor of a more open, spacious musical landscape for
Peterson and lead guitarist
Casey Gooby, whose axe-wielding idol seems to be some cross between
Neil Young and
Rain Parade's
David Roback, given
Gooby's fondness for long-held notes draped in echo and feedback. Overall,
the Missing Numbers have perfected a sound of their own, but they cling so tenaciously to it, with only the most subtle changeups between one song and the next, that it makes their debut album sound a bit one-note when listened to as a whole.