It’s fascinating that the blues has a free pass to openly worship idols.

More so than any other type of music, bands with even the slightest bluesy undertones name-check the past, lift elements from the genre’s forefathers and otherwise fly a flag of influences to say, “We know we aren’t the first or the last to do this, but that’s fine with us,” like it somehow removes them from being called poseurs.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre is never berated for mimicking The Rolling Stones – though its sound, lyrics, album titles and even its name reference the iconic group.

The same way The Rolling Stones were not criticized for blatant influences by Alexis Korner, who spent years eulogizing Muddy Waters.

At some point, the blues morphed from music into a sort of historical lineage that connects generations of musicians – ignoring the past is like disowning a relative.

But what differentiates a band great at playing the blues from a great blues band is the ability to hide classic expectations among a contemporary focus by expanding the genre’s framework.

Bands like The Hives take the proto-punk road further than The Stooges ever anticipated, while The Black Keys find ways to modernize B.B. King-esque standards.

The Kills pick up The Velvet Underground’s trail 30 years after Lou Reed and the New York scenesters went separate ways.

By not viewing typical lo-fi aesthetics as a need, but instead as an accent, the duo’s sophomore LP is an eerily subdued, atmospherically haunting record capable of switching to aggressive, fuzzed-out, rock ‘n’ roll seamlessly at any moment .

Knowing when to transition between the two may be the group’s biggest asset. We can take only so many distant sounds and stomping drums before we’re ready for beefy guitar chops and in-your-face confidence while vocalist Alison Mosshart does her best PJ Harvey impression.

Thus, the band comes across with a swagger self-aware enough to be cocky, but historically aware enough to be legit.