The five members of Alberta Cross, representing the disparate rock locales of Brooklyn, NY, London, England, and Stockholm Sweden, share an innate love of all things Americana on their 2010 sophomore effort Broken Side of Time. Like Crazy Horse fronted by Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue, the band blazes a trail through the backwoods with the raw fury of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and the pensive, worldweary pen of Gram Parsons. For the most part, grungy, midtempo numbers like Song Three Blues,” “Rise from the Shadows,” and the epic title track (which sports a nice, meaty, Sabbath-inspired breakdown) provide Broken Side of Time’s backbone, but there are enough boozy stadium rockers here to keep fists pumping through the thick veil of smoke. Still, it’s a slow burner with nary a hook in sight, and vocalist/guitar player Petter Ericson Stakee’s theatric mumbles can be an acquired taste, but listeners with a CD collection that leans heavily on bands like Catherine Wheel, Sixteen Horsepower, the Cult, and Kings of Leon will find this dense monolith of roots-based stoner rock to be the perfect late-night companion for a dark summer highway. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

1		Song Three Blues
2		ATX
3		Taking Control
4		Old Man Chicago
5		Broken Side of Time
6		Rise From The Shadows
7		City Walls
8		The Thief & The Heartbreaker
9		Leave Us And Forgive Us
10		Ghost Of City Life