Almost 15 years into their careers, Austin, Texas alt-country band The Gourds still know how to have a good time when they want to. You just have to hope they still want to. Noble Creatures comes complete with their usual upbeat, feel-good tunes, steeped in humour and wordplay, though the band is noticeably starting to move towards a more conventional sound.
    The Gourds’ humour on previous releases has led to accusations that they’re a one trick pony, but they prove otherwise this time around. One of the album’s centrepieces is the slow-paced “Promenade,” the most traditional country song the group has ever released. If this song was on, say, a Rascal Flatts album, it would likely be lost in the hazy balladry of modern-day country, but considering the Gourds’ reputation as some of the premier jokesters of the genre, “Promenade” will make you stop in your tracks.
    Before you worry that The Gourds have completely lost their anti-country appeal, opener “How Will U Shine,” and “Red Letter Day,” which compares a confusing girl to a “broken Tilt-a-Whirl,” prove that the band still embraces their subversive side.
    It’s a little bit disconcerting to hear the Gourds experimenting with a more traditional country sound (“Last Letter” is also suspiciously CMT-like), but Noble Creatures still provides enough relief from the mainstream to satisfy.