Apr 4

Some Thoughts On Dredg’s Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy

Posted by Chris Harris on April 4, 2011 in New Records, News, Reviews

The cover of Dredg's new one

So, a better portion of this miserable day’s been spent listening to the new Dredg record, which arrived in my email inbox this morning. This album has helped me periodically forget my worries and drift off for an indulgent second or three, to a place where I feel calm and my nerves, settled.

There are 11 tracks on the disc, and more than half of them kick ass. That said, I’m not sure whether fair weather-Dredg fans will understand what the band’s trying to do on Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy. The open-minded and the diehards will get it. This is the progression Dredg fans have been waiting for…especially Dredg fans who also happen to dig Dan The Automator’s work with Lovage and Gorillaz.

Lyrically, the album’s sort of all over the place. Nothing uber-profound like you found on El Cielo. Some of the lyrics are downright poppy. The music, on the other hand, is much different than what you’re expecting, perhaps. But you can definitely hear Dan’s influence.

Songs like “The Ornament,” “Another Tribe,” “Somebody Is Laughing,” “Down Without A Fight,” and “Upon Returning” are where his influences are most apparent to me. “The Tent” is straight-up music to make love to the old lady by.

But overall, this album sounds like it was made during the 1980s, which is strange. But the mood, the music, the whole feel…at times, you hear what sounds like Madonna, then the next minute, it sounds like The Cure. I even heard Miami Sound Machine in there.

Just wait. When it comes out, you’ll see what I mean. Come back and tell me how right or wrong I am. Please.

Posted in New Records, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

About

Chris Harris is an internationally-published music journalist and writer whose work has appeared on the pages of Rolling Stone, IFC.com, Revolver, Alternative Press, and Radar. The former news editor for Noisecreep.com, AOL’s heavy metal blog, Harris also served as co-host for the site’s weekly podcast, “Creep Show." Harris spent four years as a reporter and on-air talent for MTV News.

  • Farinaa

    i am too impatient, give me a link!!!please!!haha

    i am a spanish dredg fan since..!i need it!! grrrrrrrr!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/teske1 Taylor Teske

    I have had the opportunity to be a fan since their first album and I’m blown away at their musical progression since then. I had a chance to listen to their entire album and I must say that they have achieved a whole other level of musical subconsciousness. This album is ingenious and heart-felt. I just hope the other fans appreciate it as thus. Can’t wait for a physical copy!

  • Rodstar

    I am both Open-Minded and Die-Hard, and am very disappointed in this. It’s like they are playing a big joke on us all. The songs are mostly half-assed, some being woeful. I wish they would go back into the studio and fix it before they actually present it to the world :(

  • Hillsforireland

    I have been a dredg fan since the Conscious EP. I have seen them progress in amazing ways.. However, it has been downhill since Pariah… Like I have said before, they will always be amazing musicians but this is just… Garbage.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=502533975 Arel Armour

    its been almost a year since this album came out and the only reason why im writing this is because i am currently listening to el cielo. between this and leitmotif, they have had a large influence in my mid-teens to early 20′s. they are not only my two favorite albums of all time, but i hold these albums really close to the chest. catch without arms is where i became a little worried that they were going from their awesome, super experimental, ambient sound to a more poppy streamlined sound to reel in a new audience–which is fine; more power to them. then us fans waited, what? 4 years for pariah? like catch without arms, i liked albout 3/4′s of it, and looked past some of the weaker tracks because, hey, these are the guys who made my two all time favorite albums! a year later they come out with this. this. the only good tracks are ones that should have been put on pariah and the other was written years ago. the only thing that sounds remotely like dredg is gavins voice. i get that bands usually progress and change their sound over the years. but if i was introduced to dredg on this album, i would laugh and never even bother to delve further into their previous discography. im sure a couple kids bought the cd and liked it, but seriously, there is no comparison to the level of artistic craftsmanship between any of their previous albums and this album. i just hope they come out with something with a little more effort next time. i love dredg and will still probably buy whatever albums they come out with, but my ears cried when i heard this album.