Review Summary: Dredg hones their unique songwriting style into a pop music format in a somewhat successful venture that cannot live up to the power or creativity of their previous work.
The third major-label release from Alt Rock powerhouse Dredg finds the band in a less experimental and more straight-forward approach to their music.
Released: June 26th, 2005
Lineup
Gavin Hayes " Vocals, Pedal Steel
Mark Engles " Guitars
Drew Roulette " Bass
Dino Campanella " Drums, Piano
Is this album really straight-forward, though? It seems to contain fewer branches into different territory than both their previous releases,
El Cielo and
Leitmotif. Musically, it moves in and out of various time signatures within the context of single songs, and interesting modal shifts can be found throughout. Even so, what comes out of the speakers as the final package seems to be less exiting than what Dredg is known to be capable of.
This is a great record. Still, Dredg has almost caught themselves in a self-created trap because of the level of expectations they set with their phenomenal debut and sophomore efforts. The amount of evolution we"ve seen from Dredg, from the lo-fi beginnings and demos, to their first EP and then on to major label releases, has been massive. The rap-metal seeds they planted somehow morphed into a band that would release an art rock masterpiece. The dreamscapes that comprised
El Cielo are as captivating as anything I can remember in recent rock music. Their alt-rock power fused with experimentation and dynamic song writing; I"ve even heard people go so far as to call Dredg a Jazz-fusion band. While that"s not entirely true, it still shows just how far Dredg has managed to reach out, fascinating audiences of all kinds"not just those who appreciate a good alternative rock tune. That"s one of the reasons Dredg is such a great catch, for any music fan.
Each member contributes equally to Dredg"s unique sound, and individually, the band members are masters of their instruments. Gavin has crafted his voice, and though lost some of the harsh and raw emotion he once had, he is able to soar above the instruments and captivate with beautiful melodies. Mark"s style is so consistently unique; He explores the fretboard and the interaction between chords and the voicings that make his guitar lines so melancholy, transforming standard chord progressions into paintings of sound and emotional power. Drew"s basslines move the song along, finding the perfect space between the drums and guitar, while Dino is possibly the most solid drummer in modern rock. He also provides quite a few good piano runs on the album.
What I don"t like about this record is that it isn"t challenging to the listener. This is probably the most fun Dredg album to listen to. Instead of challenging us to take in their sound and interpret it, they give us a fun ride of an album. There"s no trouble sitting and listening through the whole thing"it"s not boring or sluggish, and most of the songs keep it interesting and fresh the whole time. They hinted at creating a true masterpiece with songs like
Bug Eyes,
Not That Simple,
Zebraskin,
Sang Real, and especially
Jamais Vu, which show true growth in a promising direction, but dispersed between these songs are tunes that sound less serious and more playful. Perhaps that"s exactly what Dredg wanted to do"create a more energetic and lighthearted entity for concert moshing.
The second piece of criticism is the guitars. While they retain the signature Mark Engles feel and style, they don"t work near as hard to create the huge soundscapes and unique dynamics from previous workings, instead settling for sitting in the background, opening space for Gavin"s vocals; rather than challenging Gavin to soar above his riffs, he sits below the singing"less challenging for Dredg and thus less challenging and interesting for us. Nonetheless, the perfect dynamic between the harmony and melody makes it really easy to get lost in the songs and forget that it isn"t as exciting as it could be.
Despite my hypocrisy, the criticism this record has gotten is unfair. Few people can find a way to criticize a part of this record without comparing it back to previous works. We"ve all seen what Dredg is capable of, though, and the better they are, the harder they fall.
What makes this record sub-par by Dredg"s standards is that rather than truly growing and branching out, they"ve slipped into a comfort zone and produced a much more linear sound than they have in the past. Somehow, they managed to reach out, but bring it all back together on their other records. This is still very unique"it"s undeniably Dredg. However, it"s not groundbreaking. Many of the songs don't seem as carefully orchestrated and tweaked as Dredg usually does.
Jamais Vu is the best song the band has ever written; the dynamic between the vocals, drums, and especially the bass and guitar is in such a perfect space, creating a type of atmospheric ambience the band hasn"t explored yet. Thunderous clouds of bass fill the low end as tremolo-picked high-end guitar chords fill the air, and Gavin soars as the band falls into perfect unison with the pedal steel backing the guitar in the bridge for a massive and epic climax.
Bug Eyes sees the band in perfect form, juxtaposing piano, pedal steel, and guitar chords into a powerful song, while
Ode To The Sun kicks it up a notch, still remaining uniquely Dredg.
Not That Simple moves the album along well with an up tempo, yet very melancholy feel that"s classic Dredg working behind a powerful and moving ballad.
Zebraskin is an extremely promising sound in a new direction with a jazz-meets-alt-rock verse and some good experimentation.
Sang Real is the second-best song on here, showing the band doing experimenting with a sound they"ve never done before, a beat-driven tune with arpeggiated piano forming a beautiful wall of sound, and
Matroshka is an emotional powerhouse, closing the album perfectly.
Hungover on a Tuesday and
Spitshine are dry comfort-zone songs that seem more like sped-up takes on
El Cielo ideas, only poorly executed, and without the ethereal contrasts that made the old ideas so fascinating. Neither is bad enough to be skipped, though"they"re actually good songs. Without the emotion that comes through on the other songs, though, they feel sluggish and drag the album down.
Lyrically, it is an intriguing record. Not quite as intriguing as the dreamy musings of
El Cielo or the journey of
Leitmotif, but
This is a great album. It"s not amazing or phenomenal, and it"s not as experimental. Perhaps it lacks in the subtle nuances that made Dredg"s music so compelling in the past. Still it"s a fun and enjoyable record, with several amazing tracks that I"d rate as some of my favorite of all time. As such, the best word to describe it would be 'inconsistent.' It only fails to challenge the listener, and doesn"t captivate as Dredg can so well. I recommend it to any Dredg fan for sure, but if you"re just getting into the band, this is not the place to start.
4/5
