New Blog!
I'm slowly working on getting this up and running to post on a regular basis. While I slowly set things up, I'm going to start posting older posts I've done for other blogs and media outlets, starting tomorrow.
Today, I will start off my blog with a review from Dredg's new album: Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy
CD Review: Dredg's Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy
The experimental-progressive group Dredg has always been evolving. With each album, the group finds new sounds and elements to completely transform themselves. Its a trait that's sadly both lauded and met with polarizing reception from fans. Usually the skeptics are silenced as the final result of their experimentation usually ends with epic results. Sadly, this might be the album that truly polarizes its fans once and for all.
About half a year ago, Dredg announced they were releasing a new album. This was quite the shock as their previous album was release just a year prior to the announcement and that was a project that had taken over 4 years to make. Then in February, Dredg made this announcement on their website: "Those who are expecting the record to be a consistent continuance of The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion will no doubt be surprised: this album is completely different from everything Dredg has ever done before." What results is Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy.
Seeing the album art alone will dishearten fans, lingering between a typical indie rock cover and a unexplainable, awkwardly creepy image. At first glance, what is seen is a women standing in front of a simple light blue wall. It's almost reminiscent of Vampire Weekend's Contra. But taking a closer look will reveal the woman is half-naked, sans pants, wearing a mask bearing a wide joker-esque smile described by the band as "Chuckles." Upon witnessing this bizarre art, fans knew they were stepping into new and uncertain territory. Turns out, the material did a good job in giving the fans an idea of what they were getting into.
Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy is so different from everything Dredg has done up until now. The complex, progressive structure and experimental post-rock arrangements are traded in for synth-driven, hip-hop infused indie rock.
This shocking development is the result of the band meeting with hip-hop producer Dan the Automator, known for his collaborative efforts with Gorillaz and Head Automatica among many other artists. His collaborations involved laying down samples and synth-lines for several of the pieces, assisting in the writing of three songs, and producing the album. What results is a collaborative side-project, which is what the album should have been released as.
This album is so incredibly different from anything the band has ever done and it takes a good while to warm up to. Some may never warm up to it. But the band has stated that this album is not marking any sort of turning point for the band, indicating a new direction the band is heading in. Guitarist Mark Engles has stated that the project was the band trying something new and fun with the collaborations of Dan. If that's the case, this album should really been addressed as a side-project. Having this album being the official follow-up to the epic concept album The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion just for the sake of being different is disappointing. So disappointing, it might result in huge drop in their loyal fanbase. Critics and fans are already lashing out at this album before its official release in the states.
Disregarding fan criticism and its unusual follow-up to their previous material, the album stands alone rather strong. The fusion of art rock and hip-hop, bordering on trip-hop in some places, results in some deep, powerful and catchy moments. On the other hand, comparing their other material, this is the one album where some songs are far better compared to the others. To best explore and rate this album will require dissecting it song by song:
1. "Another Tribe" - This song really lets the listener know what to expect. It starts with some strong hip-hop beats, a synth-driven melody and pop infused vocals. Lyrically, the song is rather amusing as it parodies the album's expected criticisms. 4/5
2. "Upon Returning" - Probably one of the strongest tracks on the album. It's one of the few guitar driven tracks, harmonized with carnival-esqe synth samples reminiscent of the The Door's version of "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)." 5/5
3. "The Tent" - This song is bizarre. It's progressive yet murky Tool-esque nature makes one want to enjoy it, but the bizarre harmonies make parts of the song incredibly awkward and hard to listen to. 3/5
4. "Somebody Is Laughing" - A really strong track that's driven by a powerful bass-line, catchy but dark synth-lines and an addictive chorus. 5/5
5. "Down Without a Fight" - A very synth-heavy track. It's powerful bass-heavy synths and slower tempo give it a robot 80-esque sound. In all honesty, its kinda reminiscent of Depeche Mode. 4/5
6. "The Ornament" - The first of two previously unreleased songs that have only been seen in their live shows. This song's also been heard on their live album. They definitely rearranged the composition a tad in comparison to the previously heard live renditions of it. Overall, a nice melancholy ballad. 4/5
7. "The Thought of Losing You" - The track that started all the debates long before the album's release. This song was intended to be the first single and upon listening to it, its obvious this was written for the radio. The lyrical content screams "catchy, radio-friendly promotion single." Composition-wise, it has a very strong melody. Very catchy. The lyrics, on the other hand . . . well, there is a reason this album has received such harsh, critical anticipation. 3/5
8. "Kalathat - Very odd song, considering the albums overall tone until now. Its an entirely acoustic song, that stands out like a sore thumb. Getting past the shock, its comes off as a very soothing laid back track. The tone is almost reminiscent of Foo Fighter's "Friend of a Friend." Lyrically, however, it comes off as beat poetry in some random coffee shop on open mic night. 3/5
9. "Sun Goes Down" - A heavily layered track with eastern influenced samples with some definite dark, atmospheric elements complimented by a catchy hip-hop beat. 4/5
10. "Where I'll End Up" - This is the second of the unreleased tracks seeing the light of day. In all honesty, it should have been kept in the dark. It's a a very awkward pop rock piece, met with a weird combination uneven vocals, cacophonous "harmonies," and a weird melody reminiscent of The Beatles. It's sad this song didn't turn out well, given both the obvious Beatles influence and the fact that its the only track to feature vocalist Gavin Harrison's signature slide guitar. 2/5
11. "Before It Began" - Lyrically, the song starts where "Another Tribe" left, addressing their style shift and the expectant criticism. It has a slightly slower tempo, complimented with eastern and tribal samples. What's really cool is both this song and Another tribe's lyrics and musical influences kinda parallels the obvious critical commentary of their material with allusions to their first full length, Leitmotif. 4/5
Despite how different the album is and the criticisms towards its follow-up to Pariah, as a stand alone album would be good if not great album, if it were done by a different band. Given the band's history, reputation and fanbase, this album will sadly go down in history as one of this band's biggest mistakes. This is most unfortunate, since it's a such a fun album, albeit kind of a novelty. In all honesty this album would have worked so much better as a side project. In fact, that's what this album is: A collaborative side-project between Dredg and the Dan the Automator. They could have saved themselves a lot of harsh criticism and possible loss of fans this way.
