AMERICAN AQUARIUM

Vocalist BJ Barham croons into the whiskey-drenched mic, Southern drawl on max, singing of youthful excesses, women, broken hearts, life in the South, longings — the stuff of life. Raleigh’s American Aquarium is lyrical brethren to Springsteen and Ryan Adams and musical troubadours merging to play stout, country-infused rock laced with bouts of blues. Their latest release, Burn.Flicker.Die., is a barn-burning Jason Isbell-produced record. And it’s a dandy. It’s obvious the last half dozen years of near-constant touring, writing, recording and playing has evolved into songs with an emphasis on storytelling and roots rock that stings like a shot of cheap whisky but gets smoother as the night, and the music, deepens. (Samir Shukla)

Samir Shukla

Price: $12/$14