I've been enamored of the band Del Amitri for a long time now. One of the best straight up rock and roll bands of the nineties, with big, tasteful guitars, hook-filled choruses, minor-key angst, and strong lyrical content. Their Some Other Sucker's Parade remains a high-water mark for the band.So now here's this fairly young band from Brooklyn making a big rock record full of emotional statements tied to big melodic rock. There's moments of U2, Tom Petty, and Mellencamp, but it is Del Amitri's best work that most comes to mind. The songs' minor keys, tales of heartache, and Alex Dezen's voice all sound like Justin Currie of Del Amitri.
From the title track's hook-filled Petty/Mellencamp hybrid, to Let's Be Civilized's cooking harmonica break, to the acoustic ballad turned stomping rocker of The Monster, to the big building ballad The Same Way that ends the record, almost everything is top notch. There are a few acoustic ballads (good ones), but mostly the record rocks pretty steady. The guitars are especially excellent and provide texture and depth to the arrangements. Mid-tempo rockers benefit from hooks and creative guitar fills just as much as the faster songs, and the lyrics are not stupid, and are frequently original.
Need another rock band in your life? Wish Del Amitri were still around? Either way, the Damnwells have you covered.
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