White Denim Gets Loose-Limbed on 'Stiff'

When Austin's White Denim was last in the Soundcheck studio, one of our listeners commented, simply, "This is music. Wow." At the time, the band was touring behind the Jeff Tweedy-produced Corsicana Lemonade, which found the then-quartet indulging in a few baroque flourishes on top of their well-established brand of 1970s-inspired rock'n'roll. But apparently singer James Petralli and company felt they had drifted too far off their own map, because the band's new record, Stiff, is a self-described return to basics: Stones licks and the stink of spilt beer, steeped also in the classic sounds of Curtis Mayfield-era R&B. A beefed-up lineup and a renewed sense of vigor — click the player to hear a driving set from and conversation with the Soundcheck favorites.