Troubled days give Puerto Muerto's latest a dark tone

"Drumming for Pistols," the new record by Chicago indie duo Puerto Muerto, sounds like the perfect soundtrack for these times of recession and war.

The record's 13 songs - a swirling mix of alt-country, punk guitar and Nick Cave-like lyricism - create a dark tapestry full of menace and foreboding.

That's no surprise to Puerto Muerto singer and percussionist Christa Meyer, who said the record was made at a time of great "unraveling."

"The whole Bernie Madoff thing was going on, the economy was in free-fall. There was just this feeling of upheaval in the air," Meyer said.

Some personal upheaval was under way, too. Meyer said her marriage to Puerto Muerto singer and guitarist Tim Kelley went through some tumult during the making of the record, and that the two now plan to go their separate ways, both personally and professionally,

"A lot was happening to us, and I think we kind of fed off that on the record," Meyer said. "It added some emotional juice to the music we were making,"

Meyer, an Elmhurst native and York High School graduate, started singing as a child. Encouragement from her chorus teachers led her to take lessons in classical singing, though she said she always had eclectic musical tastes. (At one point during a phone interview, she mentioned composer Kurt Weill, jazz singer Nina Simone and Steve Albini's noise-punk band Shellac in one sentence.)

Meyer began making music with Kelley, a St. Louis native, about 10 years ago. Both had been involved with musical projects individually before then, but hadn't worked together.

"It was really fun," Meyer said of their initial collaborations. "We were already married then, and it's great to create with someone who lives with you."

Meyer and Kelley continued to write and perform together, and the unique, noirish sound of Puerto Muerto was born. Meyer's classically trained mezzo-soprano snakes around dark, suggestive melodies punctuated by Kelley's Clash-inspired guitar work. Kelley also sings on many tracks, his deep rumble offering a striking contrast to Meyer's voice.

"I usually write the lyrics and then provide Tim with some melody ideas," Meyer said. "He would then take that and mold it into something that actually makes sense."

"Drumming for Pistols," which comes out on London's Fire Records label on Tuesday, Feb. 9, is Puerto Muerto's sixth full-length record. Like the band's previous releases, "Drumming" displays a range of musical influences. The haunting opening track, "Song of the Moon," evokes sinister images of deserted country back roads. "Arcadia" has a more theatrical bent, with Meyer's vocals recalling P.J. Harvey, and "Vermillion Sky" unfolds via a bluesy stomp. Strings, horns and the chime of handbells add unusual musical accents throughout.

Puerto Muerto plans to celebrate the release of "Drumming" with a show on Feb. 22 at Chicago's Empty Bottle rock club.

"I'm really happy with the way it turned out," Meyer said. "It's an aggressive record, but it has those quieter, more intimate moments, too."

Looking ahead, Meyer said she plans to continue writing and performing music on her own.

"I'm still going to be writing as much as I can, trying to move in a more intimate direction with it," she said. "I don't want to be at arm's distance from the music. I'm very happy with what we did with Puerto Muerto, but now I'm going to try to go in a new direction."

Record release partyIndie band Puerto Muerto's new record is out Tuesday, and a release show is coming up.Info: 9:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22Admission: FreeLocation: Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, Chicago. (773) 276-3600False380380"Drumming for Pistols," the new record by Puerto Muerto, comes out Tuesday. False