The grainy southern accent of main general Chris Flemmons grates across a delicate and subdued acoustic guitar. The dry air surrounds a voice that churns and mangles out a lilting melody, bolstered only by the guitar and somber cellos. Welcome one and all to the first track of The Baptist Generals’ haunting and dirty new album No Silver/No Gold.

“ Ay Distress” opens the record. It’s a wonderful choice for creating a magically sparse opening that descends into swearing and mayhem when the idyllic melaze is abruptly shattered by a cell phone going off. Flemmons lets his feelings known in no uncertain terms, a refreshing and innovative way of opening a new release.

“ Alcohol” is chaotic and industrial sounding. A charred, acoustic blues riff is embedded over a grubby and distorted backbeat. Track four, “Going Back Song,” is the stand-out single with its hum-along melodic chorus line, although The Generals never venture too far into the pristine world of radio-friendly indie rock. Flemmons whiskey-drenched voice cuts like cheap alcohol on a recently gauged wound giving the entire album a painful, earthy feel. This shambolic wizardry is never more apparent than in "Creeper” as the tambourine player seems to be playing to a completely different tune. “Preservatine,” power source and all, reeks of Nirvana in all the best ways. There is something about the refrain and the way it’s sung -- maybe it’s just me. "Feds on the Highway" is altogether much bleaker. And towards the end, The Generals begin to sound like some crazed Violent Femmes knock-offs with a small garage to record in.

Originally a duo, Flemmons and partner Steve Hill used to play for beer money in their hometown of Denton. They were then joined by mariachi bassist Ryan Williams and Jason Reimer, who adds the bizarre-sounding instruments to the rugged indie-blues of No Silver/No Gold. And the production throughout only enhances the dirty, acoustic rawness of it all. In parts it is extremely crude. The pot-and-pan drums and soiled metal-string acoustic serve as a testament to the fact that they "recorded their latest album...in a garage, but they are by no means your typical garage band." Press release humor – you’ve got to love it.

This stark and gritty album may have many turning off, but the genuine rawness shines through -- the hiss and the crackle that is. It is equal parts acoustic mayhem, country shenanigans and a dirty blues/punk brew...a nice mix for a quiet Sunday evening me thinks.