BY MIKE BREEN

After the release of their debut album, Cincinnati PsychPop trio The Buffalo Killers found they had fans in high places. The Black Crowes took them on tour (they'll be back out with them this fall) and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys signed on to produce their sophomore album, Let It Ride (they've also done several tour dates with the Keys). The new album is due in stores next month, but the band is hosting a CD release shindig at Covington's Mad Hatter Saturday for local fans. Moon High and The Lions Rampant open.

Let It Ride will please fans of the Killers' self-titled debut, but that album served as more of a retro-tinged introduction. This time around, the trio revels in their talent and sounds more comfortable in their sonic surroundings. The approach is still lively, catchy, primal and analog-natural - it's one of those records that could have been made 35 years ago, devoid of all the production tricks and treats that make so many albums sound so horrible these days. This is the sound of three guys gathered around a drum kit, not a computer.

"Leave the Sun Behind" and "If I Get Myself Anywhere" pick up the psychedelic melodicism of the debut, with strong but not obvious hooks buoyed by the band's trademark swampy, bluesy strut. "Give and Give" is a love-child anthem built partially on acoustic guitars and a tribal rhythmic pattern, sounding a bit like Syd-era Pink Floyd. Tracks like "Get Together Now Today" and "It's a Shame" are a little more wild-eyed than the warmer, fuzzier tracks; they're the cuts that will keep the Blue Cheer and Mountain comparisons coming in.

While Let It Ride isn't a markedly different album than its immensely satisfying predecessor, the material is more focused and the CD more consistent. It's not only a victory for the Buffalo Killers, but one for all Rock & Roll made naturally and without gimmickry, as God intended. (buffalokillers.com)

More Local Notes
· An all-day-long tribute/benefit concert in honor of late local musician/radio DJ Ken "Mr. K" Glidewell takes place Saturday at Aces & Eights in Mason. The lineup for the show (which kicks off at 10 a.m. and goes until 10 p.m.) includes Prizoner, Thruster, Rockduster, Bad Habit, Stagger Lee, Session 9, Hollywood, The Rick House Band and Ken's former band, Big In Iowa. Proceeds will be donated to the Mr. K Memorial Fund. (myspace.com/ken_glidewell_tribute)

· Originally from Cincy, with half the band now based in Nashville, the Indie Pop band Slant returns to the area to host a CD release party for its strong debut long-player, Nothin' Left But Me, at the Southgate House Saturday. Strong contenders for next "local band gone national" status, the album is in the same league as Rilo Kiley and Cat Power, but minus some of those acts' more overwrought traits. Frontier Folk Nebraska, For Algernon, Come On Caboose and The Memory Men also play Saturday.

· Friday at the Gypsy Hut in Northside, rockers Mad Anthony play a release show in honor of their new CD, released through local label Phratry Records. The Strongest Proof, Banderas and The Seedy Seeds are also on the bill. For an interview with the band about the new disc, go to blogs.citybeat.com/spill_it/.

E-mail Mike Breen

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