Loaded (Mott Street, 2001)

The four-song EP from New York's own Sloe Guns, lives up to its name. The lead track, "Dillon," opens with an acoustic guitar riff that sounds like Led Zep channeled through the Long Ryders. You'll hear all kinds of references thoroughout, from Crazy Horse to the Wallflowers.

All four songs play like miniature epics, with protagonists locked in a hotel room wondering what to do after committing a heinous crime, or heroines leaving roses by the door and thinking about freedom. Throughout these four-minute stories, the quartet stays tight on harmonies and instrumental interplay, offering tall tales and electric-guitar atmosphere laced with keyboard and harmonica and all sorts of Americana allusions. We'll wait for the full album before making a final judgement, but based on this small sampling, it sounds like the Sloe Guns have lots of ammunition in store. (900 West End Ave., #3A, NYC, NY 10025)