Five years after the release of the self-titled full-length album, the folk rockers Two Gallants made sure this re-emergence wasn’t a quiet one. From the first track on “The Bloom and the Blight,” the duo busts out heavily distorted electric explosions that extend through the album. But the guitarist-drummer combo stays rooted in folk stylings with clever croakily sung lyrics by Adam Stephens, some softer acoustic gems like “Decay” and ballads like “Ride Away.” Some tracks find a middle ground with softer electric guitaring that occasionally erupts into shredding with percussive eruptions. While “The Bloom and the Blight” proves new and exciting for Two Gallants, the two musicians haven’t lost their originally likeable identity. Grade: A- ____ Contact Austen Krantz at [email protected]