CD’s I am Diggin’ Right Now is an occasionally occurring series where I casually highlight some discs (new and old) that I think you might like, without boring you with an overly-wordy, metaphor-filled “review” that I often like to bestow upon some other discs.
Thanks to my winning a contest from one of the funniest blogs on the interweb, Farce the Music, I have recently been able to get all-up-in a couple of discs that have been on my “Need-To-Purchase” list for quite some time now. Both of these discs also happen to fit under the “bands-that-have-received-tons-of-blog-love” category, along with my own personal category.
This would make a kick-butt black light poster...
Mastodon - Crack the Skye (Reprise Records): This is a face-melting, epic disc of sheer Metal. Rhythmic, propulsive and did I mention, face-melting? I’m attracted to the innate sense of sheer groove that is evident here and is often absent from many metal records. No prog, no post, no alt, just rock.
Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day (Partisan Records): Sweet, dirty southern country rock. Like the disc above, no reason to complicate things with what could easily be a dozen more labels that might more narrowly (or not) categorize Deer Tick’s sound. The almost Hank III-esque vocals of Joseph John McCauley III never leave you wondering about the overall tone of the disc. Reminiscent of the Dexateens’ Singlewide album that I like so much, these guys don’t crank the amps to 11 as much as you would think, and that serves the disc just fine. My favorite track from Flag Day, ”Easy”, jingle-jangles it’s way into your consciousness and, trust me, you’ll be singing it all day.
On a related note, check out the excellent Daytrotter Session with these guys…
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So with you on the Deer Tick. Can’t get it off my playlist. “Flag Day” prompted me to revisit “War Elephant,” their 2007 LP and appreciate its heretofore overlooked genius.
Yeah, many people have bemoaned the death of “alt-country”, and maybe that term is dead, but bands like this and ha ha tonka easily fit into that category and are obviously putting out new, fresh and steallar albums. maybe their just rock with a bit of twang and dirt, but its awesome, regardless of what people call it…
[...] somehow been mistakenly left off the track listing for their 2009 record, Born On Flag Day. I loved that disc and think this EP is just a dandy way of bridging the gap to the next [...]
[...] not all that unusual for me to delve into areas of the musical landscape that aren’t nestled snuggly between the [...]