Saturday, July 9, 2011

Dwarves - "Born Again" CD

The classic gutter-shock punk band is finally back, with their first new album since 2004. Including longtime members Blag Dahlia and Hewhocannotbenamed, among a cast of, well, many, it's an energetic, trashy, and well-played selection of 18 sleazy, drug-and-slut-inspired rockers. .

There are a plethora of great, catchy, and under-two-minute pop-punk songs here. In fact, there are 18 songs of them, all well-written and concise. Self-reverential? Sure. Indulgent? Not really. Dwarves' strengths are their ability to write great songs while maintaining a real "fuck you" attitude. There are no concessions for radio, just great songs like "You'll Never Take Us Alive", "We Only Came To Get High", "Working Class Hole", or "Your Girl's Mom".

The bonus DVD (included in some copies) is an extensive collection of live bootleg footage, promotional videos (both censored and uncut), and TV interviews. It's a ripe and well-presented set for any serious fan. A worthy set from one of American punk's most notorious acts. All hail the Dwarves! ripe and well-presented set for any serious fan. A worthy set from one of American punk's most notorious acts. All hail the Dwarves. (Greedy/MVD Audio)

Dwarves site

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Grails - "Deep Politics" album

Portland, Oregon's Grails are a veteran instrumental outfit who specialize in spacious, moody psychedelic rock. "Deep Politics" is their sixth full-lengther, and it opens with "Future Primitive"-- a moody and textural guitar-scape that brings to mind a dusky Western expanse. It's all very dramatic and cinematic, to be certain. The title track is piano-led chamber pop meets post-rock, full of mystery and tension. "Almost Grew My Hair" is a trippy and evolving psychedelic space monster, dynamically moving from David Gilmour-style rock solos to darker opium den haziness. This is some potent stuff, with the perfect balance of clarity and foggy abandon.

Taken as a whole, "Deep Politics" takes the listener on a journey through foreign lands, natural landscapes, and mind-bending narcotic excursions, all safely and within a relatively concise 47 minutes. Superb work, and all worth exploring. (Temporary Residence Limited)

Grailspace

Grails site