Deadboy and the Elephantmen

Dax Riggs has one of those lived-in voices that occasionally makes him sound several decades older than he actually is. The 30-something Louisiana native first gained notoriety as the frontman for soot-black cult-metalists Acid Bath, where Riggs' weathered, world-weary voice added some welcome soul to the band's acidic thrash. But with that band long defunct, Riggs has returned in the spare, bluesy duo Deadboy and the Elephantmen. Riggs occasionally duets with drummer Tessie Brunet, whose pretty, childlike voice contrasts sharply and sweetly with Riggs' wizened rumble. On their debut, We Are Night Sky, Riggs and Brunet sing together quietly, with only a gently plucked acoustic guitar to fan their flickering voices. But Riggs is also fond of ratcheting up the volume, leading the band through bloodletting blues stompers ("Stop, I'm Already Dead") and Screaming Trees-style rockers ("Kissed by Lightning"). Through it all, Riggs often sounds like a Dixie Mark Lanegan.