The closing track on Killin' It, the new release from the Quad Cities reggae-rock trio Rude Punch, is called "Payment," and unfortunately it's overdue. Loose and light, the guitars and drums at the outset seem to be searching for the groove, and when they find it 35 seconds in, they sustain it for another four minutes. Brady Jager's singing is heartfelt and nimble, and background vocals and twin guitars add satisfying accents and interplay, while bassist Robb Laake and drummer Adam Tucker are each given opportunities to fill in the gaps. The lead-guitar and drum breaks suggest a band adept at jamming within a song's structure.

I'm guessing the band's CD-release party on Saturday at the Redstone Room will be a good time, as its music goes down easily and has the benefit of familiarity. If you've heard reggae, you'll have plenty of reference points. Most importantly, the band works it right on stage, and "Payment" shows what they're capable of.

But the album itself suffers from a lack of imagination.

If you listen to the three bands on a Daytrotter.com bill at RIBCO next week, the impression their recordings leave might mislead you.

Headliner Deer Tick released War Elephant in 2007, and it's mostly a shit-kicker. But leader John McCauley said last week: "I'm certainly not a cowboy." And: "I was so sick of being called alt-country."

So he promises that Deer Tick's forthcoming album - due out this summer - will be more of a rock-and-roll affair. One can certainly imagine McCauley rockin' out, but it's hard to imagine him with less twang.

The Flight of the Conchords should look over their shoulders, as the comedy-music department gets some stiff competition next week from Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and staff writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, calling themselves The Lonely Island. Their new CD, Incredibad on the Universal Republic imprint, features the smash Saturday Night Live hits "Lazy Sunday" and "Jizz in My Pants," plus new songs with guests Jack Black, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, T-Pain, E-40, and Norah Jones. The cover spoofs the film E.T., and the CD adds a bonus DVD with eight of the group's videos, including the new singles "Just 2 Guys" and "We Like Sportz," and the YouTube sensation "Dick in a Box" with Justin Timberlake.

Willie Nelson is "on the road again," spending next month touring the East Coast with Asleep at the Wheel and their new album of western swing. Austin's own Bismeaux Records releases Willie & the Wheel this coming Tuesday, an album that the late producer Jerry Wexler had been imagining for 30 years, now fully realized with his hand-picked song list. One selection, the 1927 instrumental favorite "South," features guests Vince Gill and Paul Shaffer. A deluxe edition is also available, with bonus postcards and stamps tucked in the digipack CD and vinyl LP.