After the Dils, the hardcore punk band responsible for the notable L.A. punk single "Class War," dissolved, brothers Chip and Tony Kinman formed Rank and File. At moments the group delivered dazzling roots-rock post-punk, yet it faltered early, burned out swiftly, and ultimately ended in an ignominious collapse. Their first album, Sundown, shone as a collection of melodic, Byrds-ian pop tinted with the flavors of Gram Parsons and Merle Haggard. The Kinmans delivered vocals in a distinctive manner, locking into synchronized upper and lower octaves rather than adopting the traditional harmony approach associated with the Everly Brothers. Their material remained wry, sincere, and free of tired phrases, while the lineup—bolstered at the time by the guitar work of the immensely talented Alejandro Escovedo—emphasized nuance and subtlety instead of sheer volume. So thoroughly immersed had the Kinmans become in cowpunk that they secured an appearance on PBS’s Austin City Limits, a far cry from their earlier hardcore roots. The follow-up, Long Gone Dead, proved a strong successor, yet the self-titled third album, issued three years later, proved disastrous: the songs lacked direction and the previously precise, artful vocals and instrumentation sank beneath layers of clichéd hard-rock mannerisms. Anyone who heard the opening side could tell the end had arrived. In a complete reversal of their earlier style, the Kinmans next pursued the execrable synth-pop project Blackbird, an ill-conceived effort that turned them into figures of ridicule. Alejandro Escovedo went on to create the excellent though short-lived True Believers alongside his brother Javier, and after that band ended he issued several compelling solo recordings.
