Tender Places Come From Nothing

Like their name suggests, U.S. Saucer sounds a little bit extraterrestrial. The California folk rock trio doesn’t have a drummer, preferring to let finer details—like quiet noodling on guitar or the clatter of a horse’s hooves—come to the foreground. David Tholfsen and Margaret Murray alternate vocal duties, with delivery ranging from the exaggerated southern drawl on their cover of “Hold On Dear Brother” (from one of The Beach Boys’ possibly most disliked albums) to the faux-Mexican yee-hawing of their take on Terry Gilkyson’s “Ride Away Vaquero.” Part of San Francisco’s indie scene, the band kept fitting company; they were labelmates with fellow folk freaks Sun City Girls, the Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey, and Thinking Fellers Union Local 282—which guitarist Brian Hageman also played in. With a wry sense of humor and a disinterest in the conventional frills of a rock band, they manage to land their spaceship pretty close to the spirit of a classic American sound.