Nina Nastasia might sing her own songs while strumming an acoustic guitar, but You Follow Me is miles away from the blustery folk you'd expect from any other singer- songwriter. Instead, this sparse recording, a collaboration between Nastasia and drummer Jim White of Australian instrumental outfit Dirty Three, is as taut and downright rocking as a drum kit, acoustic guitar and single voice can get. Nastasia's songs are first-person narratives about disintegrating relationships, reincarnation and car accidents. Her haunting voice and rich melodies anchor the dark subject matter; on "Our Discussion," she makes a nihilistic declaration like " I don't believe in the power of love/I don't believe in a god or a mind" sound decidedly cheery. Elsewhere, her voice becomes a full-on wail filled with spit, as on "Late Night," where she laments, "There's blood on the road, and blood on your face/ I'm gonna cry, cry/ Why didn't you brake?/ Did you even try?"

Jim White might be the drummer, but he's much more than a backing musician on You Follow Me. Bringing vital nuance to the music, he alternately sounds like rolling thunder, fluttering birds' wings, and everything in between. On some songs, he's John Bonham; on others, he's a delicate cascade of cymbals interlocked with Nastasia's subtle finger-picking. Augmented by its stark production courtesy of indie stalwart Steve Albini, You Follow Me is thrilling in its immediacy and emotional power.