Dragonslayer by Sunset Rubdown
LABEL: Jagjaguwar
“They plink along nicely enough, all in turn, like an
orderly herd of sheep. We wouldn't expect anything
less from Krug and Co., just much more.”
For anyone interested in medieval lore, saying a dragon is considered one of the noblest quests a knight can complete. So with Sunset Rubdown's latest release, Dragonslayer, do we witness feats of courage and killing of mythical creatures?
In a sense. Spencer Krug, the once frenzied and ridiculous lead singer, has tamed down several notches. Gone are the ear-splitting whines found in earlier releases, like "Stadiums and Shrines II" on the brilliant Shut Up I Am Dreaming. Instead, Krug imbibes a tranquility potion right before laying down the vocal tracks for a less than theatric delivery. He even chooses to duet with a fair maiden (Camilla Wynne Ingr, the self-proclaimed "Jane of all trades" in SR). The once fierce beast contained within their music is slain by the band's comfort.
Does the instrumentation provide to be a fearsome Excalibur that allows some of the band's wilder tendencies to be unleashed? For the most part, no. Solos struggle to be unleashed throughout "Idiot Heart" and "Black Swan", but they are tethered down to the point that powerful squabbles emerge for seconds at a time before being thrust back into the song's unfortunate normalcy. Not to downplay the music on the album, which is beautiful. They plink along nicely enough, all in turn, like an orderly herd of sheep. We wouldn't expect anything less from Krug and Co., just much more.
Good album? Sure. Good Sunset Rubdown album? Maybe. It seems that this new direction may have shed some of my favorite things (read: the intensity and spontaneity) about the past few albums. Dragons, after all, shed their skin every once in a while. Let's hope that by their next album, the gang remembers how to breath fire.
REVIEWED BY RAYMOND CHALMÉ
RAYMOND'S 3 FAVORITE TRACKS: "Idiot Heart" • "Apollo and the Buffalo and..." • "Black Swan"
Read more from Raymond on his blog, Warm Tape.
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