Some bands just refuse to be pinned down. So it was with El Capitan, a group of gents from Northern California. Their acclaimed 2007 album Stickeen found the spacy psych nooks present, but rarely revealed in roots-driven rock. But it was a sleepy affair, particularly when put up against the muscle and volume of their legendary live shows.

Elusive to the end, El Capitan went quiet, leaving its members to deceptively more satisfying pursuits (editing skateboard bible Thrasher; burning barns in Zion with only the help of mother nature and some over-heated preamp tubes). But the boys in the band have reentered the musical universe with the gentle whoosh of a nice acid flashback.

They have resurfaced as a changed band, now known by the name Lusjoints. It's a fine new moniker for the quar/quin/sextet, and one that befits a slight shift in aesthetic. The bits of country and folk are still very much present but have been tweaked to include a taste of loping reggae ("Indy"), a bit of Britpop swing ("Dead Reckoning"), and lots of analog synthesizers.

What will likely never leave Lusjoints is an unhurried sensibility that has colored everything they've done to date. The recording of these songs came out slowly and naturally, on one of the Mother Hips' old tape machines. Much was laid down live in the living room. You may see some cracks in the façade, but isn't that part of the band's charm?

True to form, they're still shape shifting on us, flowing from hard dub rhythm to high-lonesome harmony to the rawest roots rock. And when they play live, Lusjoints are back to what they do best: cranking up the volume and kicking against the pricks.

Don't miss the premiere of Lusjoints on August 30th at Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco.