"Ladykiller" - The Horrible Crowes

The Horrible Crowes recently released "Ladykiller"(the second single from their debut album Elsie) and like everything else they've touched, it was done with style. It was pressed in three different shades of wax (black, yellow and red) and the sleeve keeps with the cool black and white photo/black and gold writing aesthetic from Elsie and their "Behold The Hurricane" single. Personally, I went with the translucent swirly blood red variant to match the gorgeous version of Elsie I already have. These two pieces of vinyl look really great next to each other and it's always cool to see a band that still puts thought and creativity into their physical releases. But what is this, "House of Style" or something? Let's talk about the music! "Ladykiller" is one of the mellower cuts off Elsie and I totally dig the antsy pulse of the drums matched against the smooth sway of the guitars and bass. Frontman Brian Fallon really lets his voice ease gently into the verses, while still opening up to his honed-in growl once the chorus hits. Co-Crowe Ian Perkins adds some really nice accompanying guitar work that fits perfectly within the track as well. The b-side is a live cover of INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart" that was recorded live at the Sirius/XM studio in New York City. Between "Never Tear Us Apart" and their Elsie outtake version of Concrete Blonde's "Joey," these guys seriously know how to pick some tasty cover songs.

Here's a cool video of the guys playing "Ladykiller" live at WFUV's Studio A and to give even more weight to my cover point, they throw in a little of The Cure's "Pictures of You" towards the end.