William Elliot Whitmore w/ John the Savage

Iowa-native William Elliot Whitmore delves into the dark crevices of a poor-man’s soul, singing that he ought to burn in hell on his latest album, Animals in the Dark, which doubles as an indictment of America’s political system. Its opening track, “Mutiny,” tells of a drunken captain who’s lost control of his ship, a likely attack on former President George W. Bush. Openers John the Savage also evoke ships, albeit ships of a more literal sort. The Milwaukee ensemble composes rickety, noisy dirges that conjure images of pirates and old-time circuses.