On their new studio recording, 77 El Deora jangles some familiar nerves and scuffs up some new ground off the beaten path. As on Sirens, singers Jenn Courtney, Maurice Tani, and a dozen other musicians lay out a literate vision of country that is both dramatic and fun. Hammer & Tongs features 10 new songs from Tani, written specifically for Courtney"s vivid persona. Dark, hyper-romantic ballads and bright, shiny, trailer-park operettas. Plus a pair of retooled masterworks - an assertive redo of Leonard Cohen"s brooding Everybody Knows, and, as a special bonus track, an unexpected version of Leiber & Stoller"s existentialist classic Is That All There Is?.