REVIEWSThe Howling Hex, ‘XI’

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• SPIN Rating:4 of 10

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Label: Drag City

Neil Michael Hagerty made his name beating the shit out of rock'n'roll conventions with Pussy Galore and Royal Trux, but lately, he's been settling into the uncomplicated, clock-punching role of a bar-band frontman. Everything about XI, his latest with the Howling Hex, feels almost shockingly conventional, down to the older-dudes-rockin'-out collage in the CD package. That may be because Hagerty too often lets his bandmates lead the charge through guitar-and-sax blues-rock workouts (like "Live Wire" and "Save/Spend") that never veer anywhere near weird enough.

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