There was dignity in plastic seats that day
I've been waffling on whether or not to write this post pretty much all day, at least. On the one hand, it's the only thing I've really cared to write about in...well...a while. On the other hand, I wasn't really convinced that anyone would actually care.
But anyway, it's kind of a big deal to me, and if that's not the point of blogging, I don't know what is.
Dillinger Four are releasing their first album in 6 years next week. And I could not possibly be more excited. I saw them at the 7th Street Entry a couple weeks ago and it was pretty much the first time I had heard any sort of concrete info about the album. And I was thrilled.
I realize that they're not really the kind of thing most of you who read this regularly are into. I imagine most of you know them better for their bartending or their venue ownership abilities. And that's fair. I can attest to the fact that they seem to do both of those things quite well.
That said, these guys are as close to Twin Cities music legends as we seem to have these days. I mean, Prince still exists, Soul Asylum and the Replacements are only one member down apiece (no disrespect to Bob Stinson or Karl Mueller intended), but in terms of bands that are still active in the music scene, both in terms of making and advocating music, these guys are about as good as it gets.
But even if I were to disregard where they're from, I'd still have to appreciate what they do. As I've said before (I think), I appreciate anger, especially when it's well-aimed. Above all else, that's what they still have in abundance, more than a lot of other bands around them. I can't help but appreciate a band that has the decency to express their anger at their circumstances (which, in many ways, are my circumstances). And with these ideas that they've been stewing over for 6 years, they seem to have really found what they mean to say.
To call them a political band seems simultaneously fair and wholly unreasonable. They are political, but only as a matter of circumstance. It's not so much "This guy will save us" as it is "How the fuck did things get so bad?" And really, that seems to be the more reasonable concern. Not that they'd disagree with my (our?) politics. It's more that, at least musically, they seem to understand that to be validated, they need to go above and beyond the simplicity of personal politics.
It's weird. I've been a fan of them almost since the first time I heard them, which was back in high school. Their first album has always been my favorite for an abundance of reasons. My affinity for their albums has always seemed to be proportional to how long ago they were released (i.e. their latest album was always my least favorite). But in the last week or so, I've listened to the most recent album far more than I ever had before. And it's really good, for what that's worth.
But the bigger point, I suppose, is that the new album seems to be really good. It's streaming here. I've listened maybe twice. It comes out Tuesday, and I'm waiting for that before I really get into it.
Thematically, it doesn't seem particularly different from anything else they've done. It does, however, seem significantly poppier in sound. To the point that they've even been accused of using auto-tune on the vocals. A claim that they've (drunkenly) shot down, and then (even more drunkenly) worked to propagate.
There have been a lot of albums this year that really excited me (Hand over what? Hand Over Fist). I find it hard to claim that this one is my most anticipated of the year. That hardly seems fair. But at the same time, I don't think I can help but say that this is my most unexpectedly anticipated.
If you've bothered reading this far, I hope you at least had the urge to try listening. I don't expect everyone to like them, I just hope everyone gives them a chance.
And as a P.S., for the astute readers among you, I hope at least some of you took the time to appreciate the fact that Billy (Triple Rock bartender extraordinaire) is a former cellist. I was pleasantly surprised by that. Imagine the conversations that could start. Especially for the cellists and/or friends of cellists among us...
But anyway, it's kind of a big deal to me, and if that's not the point of blogging, I don't know what is.
Dillinger Four are releasing their first album in 6 years next week. And I could not possibly be more excited. I saw them at the 7th Street Entry a couple weeks ago and it was pretty much the first time I had heard any sort of concrete info about the album. And I was thrilled.
I realize that they're not really the kind of thing most of you who read this regularly are into. I imagine most of you know them better for their bartending or their venue ownership abilities. And that's fair. I can attest to the fact that they seem to do both of those things quite well.
That said, these guys are as close to Twin Cities music legends as we seem to have these days. I mean, Prince still exists, Soul Asylum and the Replacements are only one member down apiece (no disrespect to Bob Stinson or Karl Mueller intended), but in terms of bands that are still active in the music scene, both in terms of making and advocating music, these guys are about as good as it gets.
But even if I were to disregard where they're from, I'd still have to appreciate what they do. As I've said before (I think), I appreciate anger, especially when it's well-aimed. Above all else, that's what they still have in abundance, more than a lot of other bands around them. I can't help but appreciate a band that has the decency to express their anger at their circumstances (which, in many ways, are my circumstances). And with these ideas that they've been stewing over for 6 years, they seem to have really found what they mean to say.
To call them a political band seems simultaneously fair and wholly unreasonable. They are political, but only as a matter of circumstance. It's not so much "This guy will save us" as it is "How the fuck did things get so bad?" And really, that seems to be the more reasonable concern. Not that they'd disagree with my (our?) politics. It's more that, at least musically, they seem to understand that to be validated, they need to go above and beyond the simplicity of personal politics.
It's weird. I've been a fan of them almost since the first time I heard them, which was back in high school. Their first album has always been my favorite for an abundance of reasons. My affinity for their albums has always seemed to be proportional to how long ago they were released (i.e. their latest album was always my least favorite). But in the last week or so, I've listened to the most recent album far more than I ever had before. And it's really good, for what that's worth.
But the bigger point, I suppose, is that the new album seems to be really good. It's streaming here. I've listened maybe twice. It comes out Tuesday, and I'm waiting for that before I really get into it.
Thematically, it doesn't seem particularly different from anything else they've done. It does, however, seem significantly poppier in sound. To the point that they've even been accused of using auto-tune on the vocals. A claim that they've (drunkenly) shot down, and then (even more drunkenly) worked to propagate.
There have been a lot of albums this year that really excited me (Hand over what? Hand Over Fist). I find it hard to claim that this one is my most anticipated of the year. That hardly seems fair. But at the same time, I don't think I can help but say that this is my most unexpectedly anticipated.
If you've bothered reading this far, I hope you at least had the urge to try listening. I don't expect everyone to like them, I just hope everyone gives them a chance.
And as a P.S., for the astute readers among you, I hope at least some of you took the time to appreciate the fact that Billy (Triple Rock bartender extraordinaire) is a former cellist. I was pleasantly surprised by that. Imagine the conversations that could start. Especially for the cellists and/or friends of cellists among us...
posted by Mike at
1:51 AM
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