is a stopgap EP from , a collection of six covers of songs by cult bluesman , whose they covered on their 2002 debut, . Considering that this is the first time the guitar-n-drums duo has devoted an album to nothing but straight-ahead songs, it wound seem logical that would be the bluesiest recording in their catalog, but aren't that simple. The six songs on this 28-minute EP are hardly replications of 's gritty originals, nor do they have the dirty, punch-to-the-gut feel of any of the duo's three proper albums. Instead, this is the weirdest set of music the band has done to date, a trippy, murky excursion into territory that floats somewhere between the primal urgency of the duo's best work and the dark, moody psychedelia of late-'60s . Take -- its winding, narcotic groove settles into a bed of droning organ and bongos, but the interplay between guitarist/vocalist and drummer prevents it from sounding as affected as psychedelia, while infusing it with a real sense of danger. That unsettling undercurrent flows throughout this brief EP, and it makes an album that's ideal for pitch-black nights, where the music can worm its way into your imagination and then run wild. That alone would make it a unique, noteworthy detour for , but when this is compared to 's original recordings, it becomes an instructive listen since a side-by-side listen reveals how drew inspiration from 's stripped-down, idiosyncratic grooves and took it into some place entirely different. And while that might mean that doesn't necessarily sound like a kissing cousin to 's originals, it does make it a greater, richer tribute than most cover albums, and it certainly proves that 's testimonial in the liner notes about how changed his life is no lie. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine