I'm guessing the drum machine (why would you use one when your drummer is Carter Beauford???) and over use of bass is the influence of Mark Batson.
What with the move to Pittsburgh and all, I've been out of the loop for about a month now . . . I did manage to pick up a copy of the new DMB album about a week ago though. I think it's good. It's not GREAT, but it's not bad either. It's very good. The album reminds me a lot of Some Devil -- Dave's lyrics have arguably never been better, which is something that I find pretty surprising since most of these songs haven't been road-tested or anything. This album is sort of in the same vein as Everyday was -- sit down and churn out a bunch of songs in a short period of time. But unlike Everyday, where the songs were highly overproduced, the lyrics were usually pretty vapid, and the music wasn't very intricate, Stand Up really is well-orchestrated. The lyrics are fantastic, the music is nicely layered, and while the songs have a little bit of that overproduced feel sometimes, that "shine" doesn't define the album at all. As an album, I think this might be the second best ALBUM of the lot (LWS withstanding). Let's face it, DMB albums are really catalogs of material for the live shows. That's when the songs shine or fade. But in Stand Up, the album really flows well. There is pretty good cohesion of themes, and each song leads well into the next one. Musically, I think what stands out to me is the voices. There's a lot of melodic voice-overs, and every member of the band sings at one point or another in the album. Each song does a good job of capturing that DMB sound texture. The sound is sort of a refined version of what we have come to expect from DMB. One thing that I find a bit disappointing is that Boyd is sort of obscured. But that happens on every album. IMO, he really stands out with the mandolin on American Baby. I think the absolute peak of the album is the American Baby intro->American Baby. The intro does such a remarkable job of really putting you in the right mindset for so much of the album, and especially for that song. When I heard American Baby by itself, I didn't care for it much. After hearing the intro, the song really took on a whole new meaning for me, and now I love it. The album is filled with highlights, and there really aren't any songs that stand out as being really below average. My least favorite is the final track, "Hunger for the Great Light". I dunno, it just doesn't do it for me. I think it's the weakest song lyrically. I think it's as good of an album as we've heard from DMB in some time. There was a great review of it at AntsMarching.org, where the reviewer called it "Everyday in BTCS's clothing". IMO, that's a pretty good characterization. I suspect that producing a DMB album is pretty difficult, because there's so much about the band that doesn't usually translate well in the album format. Sort of like how there are so few good Grateful Dead studio albums. But Batson has done a remarkable job, and I think he really deserves a lot of credit. Grade: A-
I really dont get the fixation with this band. It is decent music at best. Something i wouldnt turn off on the radio but i would never go out of my way to hear it. Its like country rock.
I'm personally not a big DMB fan but I did like the obvious "Crash" songs when that album came out. I didn't care as much for anything after that. I will say this, though. They put on a very high energy show and they have some real talent in that band. I watched the AOL show and I thought it was pretty f-ing good even if your not much of a fan...like myself. I will say a lot of their songs sound the same on the surface but, when you dig deeper, their really not that much alike at all. That's my opinion, anyway. I like the vibe coming from them in concert and how the crowd responds. They appear to feed off of each other quite nicely. Plus, they just touch on all the musical areas with piano, sax, violin, etc. and their chemistry is something to behold. I can see how the crowds love DMB...especially the college crowds.
It's called personal taste. I wouldn't expect everyone to love DMB just like I wouldn't expect anyone else to expect me to love their favorite bands.
I think it's kind of something you have to experience to get it. That's why I was saying above that the albums have never really been remarkable, they're good, but the band exists to be seen in person, not to be heard on CD. There are lots of bands that release better singles or better albums than DMB does. But virtually no one can do what DMB does on stage. And there's lots of bands that sound great in studio, then suck live (Howie Day, you owe me $30!). I can't believe I'm going to say this, but last year's Grammy Winner for Best Rock Album, "American Idiot" (Green Day), is probably a better ALBUM than anything DMB has done (except for BTCS and LWS). If you are the type who listens what's on the radio a lot, and prefer studio recordings to live shows, you'll probably not really get it at all. But if you see or hear DMB live, it's an unforgettable experience, and you'll be a fan for life. I guess that's what I like so much about this album is that it is a pretty good album by itself. It's no White Album or anything, but it's pretty darned good. RM95 -- I think this summer is going to be interesting. I hope they switch up the setlists a bit more than last year, but I still want to hear Sugar Will and Loving Wings and JoyRide, just not every show. I'd also love to see some old favorites come back (Halloween, please!) I hope they really take some of these songs and run with them -- there's a lot of potential in American Baby, I think. I don't know if there's any #41s or Two Steps or Jimi Things or anything like that on this album (hasn't been anything like that probably since those songs!). I think Dreamgirl is going to be a BIG tour hit, and I've heard that Louisiana Bayou is killer in concert. I'd like to see Everybody Wake Up be a success, and I think Stolen Away could be another "Lover Lay Down"-type success. IMO, "Steady As We Go" will be the song that doesn't get much live play. "Bring that Beat Back", I think will be really good too. I dunno, I think this album has a lot of live potential. I can't wait to hear this stuff. What do you think of this album's live prospects?
Hear them live, and your world and attitudes will change about the band. Simply outstanding live performances night-in and night-out. Am I wrong?
