NED VAN GO

Lost in the Trouble

nedvangomusic.com

Carrying on the proud tradition of Southern Culture on the Skids, the Drive-By Truckers, and any country band that has dared to poke fun at Dixie living, Ned Van Go pack their fifth LP with gnarly cow-punk tunes (“Hog Rock Road”), silly-sweet country ballads (“Moon Shine on You”) and 95 mph bluegrass burners (“Copper Bluegrass”). “Where Ya Gone Virginia?” and “1000 Dollar Car,” meanwhile, find singer Ned Hill in Paul Westerberg mode, lamenting with sincerity the ways in which dames and cars can break a man’s heart. At least Hill and the gang have booze—romanticized on “Drunk Like Shane MacGowan” (and elsewhere)—and an outlet for their deceptively smart honky-tonk grumbling.