“Bastards of the Beat”, The Damnwells
“Bastards of the Beat”, The Damnwells Sony Music 2003
This CD starts out damn well, with an initial acoustic number, and then “What You Get,” a radio friendly rocker. At first, the standard two guitar, bass, and drums combination has a fresh sound, with occasional keyboards and even a trumpet on one cut.
With “Miss Catastrophe,” the group shows off a bit of Country and Byrds influence, with ringing guitars. However, after that things slow down with “I’ll Be Around” and “Newborn History.” I wondered about that, and looked at the CD cover. As I suspected, there was a booklet tucked away with all of the lyrics on it, often a bad sign.
Yes, despite their macho band and CD name, and a groovy inside photo that proves they are not old farts, the Damnwells have caught the dreaded SSD – Singer/Songwriter Disease. It seems they think that it is more important to Say Something than to rock.
The third slow song in a row is “I Will Keep the Bad Things From You.” The title alone, a far cry from the first cut “Assholes,” puts up red Sensitivity flags. It includes the lyric, “I will sleep above the covers/I will love you like no other.” Ouch.
At least the next cut. “Sleepsinging,” is appropriate, because by this time it seems like the boys are singing in their sleep. They liven up a bit at the end. “New Delhi” has an unusual drum beat to back it up. And some of the melodies are nice. But the last cut, “Texas,” slows down again, with lyrics that begin, “I’m ten thousand miles from you/My sky is black when your’s (sic) is blue.”
One cool thing is that the CD has its own built in player based on Winamp, with an extra cut and a video. That’s what you get when your band signs to a major label.
This CD of mostly folk/country based songs is OK, but – I think I’ll put on something now from AC/DC.
- Dave Howell
(This article first appeared in the FMSound music site.)
This CD starts out damn well, with an initial acoustic number, and then “What You Get,” a radio friendly rocker. At first, the standard two guitar, bass, and drums combination has a fresh sound, with occasional keyboards and even a trumpet on one cut.
With “Miss Catastrophe,” the group shows off a bit of Country and Byrds influence, with ringing guitars. However, after that things slow down with “I’ll Be Around” and “Newborn History.” I wondered about that, and looked at the CD cover. As I suspected, there was a booklet tucked away with all of the lyrics on it, often a bad sign.
Yes, despite their macho band and CD name, and a groovy inside photo that proves they are not old farts, the Damnwells have caught the dreaded SSD – Singer/Songwriter Disease. It seems they think that it is more important to Say Something than to rock.
The third slow song in a row is “I Will Keep the Bad Things From You.” The title alone, a far cry from the first cut “Assholes,” puts up red Sensitivity flags. It includes the lyric, “I will sleep above the covers/I will love you like no other.” Ouch.
At least the next cut. “Sleepsinging,” is appropriate, because by this time it seems like the boys are singing in their sleep. They liven up a bit at the end. “New Delhi” has an unusual drum beat to back it up. And some of the melodies are nice. But the last cut, “Texas,” slows down again, with lyrics that begin, “I’m ten thousand miles from you/My sky is black when your’s (sic) is blue.”
One cool thing is that the CD has its own built in player based on Winamp, with an extra cut and a video. That’s what you get when your band signs to a major label.
This CD of mostly folk/country based songs is OK, but – I think I’ll put on something now from AC/DC.
- Dave Howell
(This article first appeared in the FMSound music site.)