The Moondoggies

Too many modern rural folk-rock bands slip into the "country life is good" shtick. But the Moondoggies are different. A fusion of Crazy Horse crunch and the Grateful Dead's hippie gospel, the band is detached, desperate and too preoccupied with their own demons to ever enjoy the so-called simple life. There are light moments for sure. But more times than not, they give way to darkness. "Bogachiel Rain Blues," for example, is a barroom raver whose primary hook is the line "I'm going down to die."