The sound here is very good and the performance so tight that it is arguably better than many of their studio albums. Singer Gordon Gano sings, screams, whispers with every bit of his soul, but it’s bassist Brian Ritchie and drummer Victor de Lorenzo, the rhythm section, who turn this into a pure cooker. Recorded in their home state of Wisconsin during a week of concerts, Viva Wisconsin is as great a career retrospective as one could want. The obvious tunes – “Blister in the Sun”, “Gone Daddy Gone”, “Add It Up”, “Kiss Off” – are supercharged, filled with taunting and sing-alongs that best translate the group’s ability to express and share its inbred angst. The bleak tale of “Country Death Song” sounds twice as loud and powerful as the original. “Gimme the Car”, a B-side and bonus cut to the self-titled debut album, works the complete dynamic spectrum, from a whisper to a whine. “Confessions” stalks the band’s OCD nature. The manic energy of “Old Mother Reagan” sets up the crazy prankish nature of “Ugly”. Highly recommended.