Tremendous Efforts

On their first two albums, the Sadies--decked out like Tarantino gangsters and dabbling in surf and spaghetti Western sounds, bluegrass, and rock--had a great concept but couldn't quite deliver the goods. Happily, the third time's the charm: with Tremendous Efforts, the Canadian quartet finds just the right mix of surf and turf, deftly juggling jaunty instrumentals ("Pass the Chutney"), garage nuggets ("FLASH"), and country shuffles ("One Million Songs"). Importantly, bandleaders and brothers Dallas and Travis Good have discovered the advantages of economy: where the previous Sadies discs brimmed with 20 cuts apiece, this one is kept to a baker's dozen, and it's the rare tune among them that exceeds pop's magical three minutes. Even still, there's room for plenty of surprises, including "120 Miles Per Hour"--a subtle weeper with a tasty turn on steel guitar by Bob Egan and a pace that spites its title--and a blooming, buzzing cover of "Wasn't Born to Follow" that one-ups even those definitive cosmic cowboys, the Byrds. --Anders Smith-Lindall