Readers of this blog know that I have a special place in my heart for dredg. Their albums Leitmotif, El Cielo, and Catch Without Arms have all inspired musicians and fans (like me) alike.
Now, dredg did not make an album just for you, they made an album that they felt best represented where they are as a band. The question for you is, are you willing to accept the change?
To say there has been a lot of anticipation for dredg’s fourth album, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, is an understatement. Having enlisted young and gifted producer Matt Radosevich and inspiring their album title and theme from Salman Rushdie’s essay Imagine There’s No Heaven: A Letter to the 6 Billionth Citizen, the band already makes tantalizing remarks about sonic reinvention. With that, their fanbase has been curious (to say the least) to hear what the ‘new’ dredg might sound like. The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion definitely makes some departures from the band’s usual formula, which happens to be one of the more experimental alt-rock blueprints of recent years. The plangent chords, emotive melodies, haunting vocals and erratic gentleness remain, but dredg have gone out on several limbs here, returning the instrumental tracks (”Drunk Side”, “RUOK?”), using western barroom brawl and free-jazz groove elements (”Mouring This Morning”, “Lightswitch”), and constantly layering their tracks with various instruments and sounds that one would have to listen carefully to catch. Some tracks like “Cartoon Showroom” and “Long Days and Vague Clues” shine well on their own, but find awkward placement and don’t blend well with the album’s overall theme. The conclusion to this album is one of the most powerful in recent memory with the 6-minute long “Quotes,” epic instrumental “Down To The Cellar” and the heart wrenching yet hopeful “Stamp Of Origin: Horizon.” The old dredg still shine through (see tracks like “Quotes” and the title song, “Pariah”) but even their classic sound feels more muscular and confident. The band’s new flourishes, cosmetic and self-conscious as they may be, are enough to make The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion a welcome break from the old routine.
B+
Purchase ‘The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion’ here.
The video represents Greycoats‘ emotional and dreamy sound very well. The song itself has been featured on Gossip Girl and is on their latest album, Watchman, What Is Left Of The Night?
Greycoats Tour
May 8 • PORTLAND, OR • Kelly’s Olympian
May 9 • SEATTLE, WA • High Dive
Greycoats – Goodbye, Sweet Youth, Goodbye
For those of you who have already heard the leaked version of dredg’s fourthalbum, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, consider yourself lucky. The album itself is a monumental achievement for the well respected Los Gatos, CA band. This is the German single off their new album and is already blowing people’s minds.
You can pre-order The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion here.
In celebration of the pre-release of Illinois’ ‘The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe’ Deluxe edition exclusively on iTunes right now, here’s their goofball short film about the Adventures of Kid Catastrophe.
True fans of experimental rock band, dredg, are not looking for El Cielo Part 2, or even Catch Without Arms Part 2. What admirers of the band want is an evolution in sound and a return to the creative energy that made them fall in love with the band in the first place. That is exactly what they got with Saviour, the first officially released song from dredg’s fourth album, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion.
According to their myspace page, dredg will release their next album, entitled The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, on the 19th of May 9th of June 2009 on their very own label Ohlone Recordings and the Independent Label Group. Artwork has been done by Division Day’s lead vocalist/keyboardist Rohner Segnitz; a good friend of the band. This will also be dredg’s first full-length album available on vinyl which will also be featured in a limited edition versions with different artwork and packaging. They also have been sneaking out tour dates over the past few weeks (below). Bands like From Monument to Masses, Torche, Maps & Atlases, Telescreen, Pelican and Tombs are scheduled to open for them this spring. Here’s what we know so far…
Sun 03/15/09 Iowa City, IA The Picador
Mon 03/16/09 Kansas City, KS Riot Room
Tue 03/17/09 Tulsa, OK The Marquee
Wed 03/18/09 San Antonio, TX Scout Bar
Sat 03/21/09 Austin, TX Emo’s – SXSW Festival
Fri 04/03/09 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
Sat 04/04/09 Bellingham, WA The Nightlight
Sun 04/05/09 Seattle, WA Neumo’s
Tue 04/07/09 Salt Lake City, UT The Avalon Theater
Wed 04/08/09 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
Fri 04/10/09 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
Sat 04/11/09 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
Sun 04/12/09 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Mon 04/13/09 Pontiac, MI Eagle Theatre
Wed 04/15/09 Cambridge, MA Middle East Downstairs
Thu 04/16/09 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of The Living Arts
Fri 04/17/09 Lancaster, PA Chameleon
Sat 04/18/09 Baltimore, MD Sonar
Sun 04/19/09 New York, NY HighLine Ballroom
Tue 04/21/09 Raleigh, NC The Brewery
Kata Rokkar is a place where you can download free mp3 from artists and bands that I currently love and listen to. They are only for sampling purposes and to influence you to go out and support these artists by purchasing their records and going to their concerts. If you are a record company or an artist that is displeased with a song being displayed, feel free to contact me and I will remove it ASAP. Thank you and enjoy!
dredg – Quotes
