Indie rock has been having something of a “prog” moment the past few years, as witnessed by the rise of like-minded East Coast acts such as Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and the Dirty Projectors. Austin, Texas’ White Denim fit the bill as well, though, befitting their location — a place where the mystical role models include Roky Erickson and Jimmie Dale Gilmore — they present a dustier, more punk-rooted take on the indie-prog collision. At times evoking bands as disparate as the Meat Puppets, Love, and, I dunno, Jethro Tull (yes, there’s a flute solo here), the band’s new album, D, moves into somewhat softer, more psychedelic territory (single: “Drugs”) than their previous work, but it retains a sense of surprise that never abandons a sense of groove. This is the kind of “jam band” I can get behind. White Denim plays the Hi-Tone Café Thursday, June 16th, with the Jarheads.
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