There's a persistent perception among those who keep their distance from the country-music mainstream that the genre merely toggles between mindless revelry and saccharine sentimentality. But it would be difficult to pin either description on the songs of Muscadine Bloodline, an Alabama-bred duo whose take on down-home narratives and fist-pumping anthems alike is edged in angsty, masculine sensitivity. That, along with inflamed harmonies and blistering riffs, betrays the emo and mall-punk reference points that sit alongside lead singer and rhythm guitarist Charlie Muncaster and lead guitarist and singer Gary Stanton's other influences, from Southern rock to leathery singer-songwriters who fall squarely within country tradition.

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