Jeremy Aaron
03/31/09, 10:04 AM
Deer Tick - War Elephant
Record Label: Partisan Records
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Who?
Deer Tick was originally the moniker for singer John McCauley, before evolving into a four-piece folk-rock band. War Elephant is the Providence, Rhode Island, band's debut album, originally released via Feow! Records and re-released late last year on Partisan.
How Is It?
It's quite enjoyable. McCauley's gritty voice sounds like a cross between Kristian Matsson (The Tallest Man on Earth) and Eric Burdon (of '60s rock 'n rollers the Animals). It's the perfect complement for the band's rustic sound, providing continuity throughout the album's various musical styles, from acoustic folk, country-tinged indie-pop and psychedelic rock. It's hard not to hear a distinct Flower Power-era influence throughout the record with songs like the yearning "Long Time," which is reminiscent of Buffalo Springfield and a definite highlight on the album, the psych-folk rave-up "These Old Shoes," which suggests what Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer might have sounded like if they had conspired with Moby Grape, and the trippy, visceral "Not So Dense," which evokes definite shades of the Animals.
These songs aren’t all about peace, love and harmony, though: On the opener, “Ashamed,” McCauley sings of being “broken and torn,” while he’s “gotta get drunk [and] forget about some things” on “Art Isn’t Real.” While it’s easy to believe him with his gruff delivery, the tone and bright instrumentation (the insouciant slide guitar sounds a bit like Santo and Johnny’s classic pop tune “Sleep Walk”) on a song like “Art Isn’t Real” imply a sense of acceptance, a sense that McCauley has come to terms with his current state of affairs. As he states in “Dirty Dishes”: “Things could be so much worse.”
The latter part of the album finds Deer Tick running through the whole range of emotions. There is the occasionally fun moment, in the form of the playful roots-rock jam “Spend the Night,” but the smile fades away quickly with “Diamond Rings 2007,” which finds McCauley lamenting, “It takes my life away to think of you as gone,” over twangy guitars. You have to feel for the guy who displays a fighting spirit, yet continuously falls on hard times. The bass-heavy prayer, “Christ Jesus,” contrasts sharply with the light and airy, yet melancholy, closer “What Kind of Fool Am I?”
Over the course of fourteen songs, War Elephant provides an eclectic mix of acoustic guitars, classic rock crunch, and twangy steel, making it an excellent listening experience for the roots-rock enthusiast, or just about anyone else who enjoys emotionally-charged music with melodic charms. McCauley’s passionate performance truly brings these songs to life and drives the album into “must hear” status.
Peasant's On the Ground
Blitzen Trapper's Furr
Neva Dinova's You May Already Be Dreaming
The Tallest Man on Earth's Shallow Grave
Cotton Jones' Paranoid Cocoon
Check out Deer Tick on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/deertick).
Record Label: Partisan Records
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Who?
Deer Tick was originally the moniker for singer John McCauley, before evolving into a four-piece folk-rock band. War Elephant is the Providence, Rhode Island, band's debut album, originally released via Feow! Records and re-released late last year on Partisan.
How Is It?
It's quite enjoyable. McCauley's gritty voice sounds like a cross between Kristian Matsson (The Tallest Man on Earth) and Eric Burdon (of '60s rock 'n rollers the Animals). It's the perfect complement for the band's rustic sound, providing continuity throughout the album's various musical styles, from acoustic folk, country-tinged indie-pop and psychedelic rock. It's hard not to hear a distinct Flower Power-era influence throughout the record with songs like the yearning "Long Time," which is reminiscent of Buffalo Springfield and a definite highlight on the album, the psych-folk rave-up "These Old Shoes," which suggests what Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer might have sounded like if they had conspired with Moby Grape, and the trippy, visceral "Not So Dense," which evokes definite shades of the Animals.
These songs aren’t all about peace, love and harmony, though: On the opener, “Ashamed,” McCauley sings of being “broken and torn,” while he’s “gotta get drunk [and] forget about some things” on “Art Isn’t Real.” While it’s easy to believe him with his gruff delivery, the tone and bright instrumentation (the insouciant slide guitar sounds a bit like Santo and Johnny’s classic pop tune “Sleep Walk”) on a song like “Art Isn’t Real” imply a sense of acceptance, a sense that McCauley has come to terms with his current state of affairs. As he states in “Dirty Dishes”: “Things could be so much worse.”
The latter part of the album finds Deer Tick running through the whole range of emotions. There is the occasionally fun moment, in the form of the playful roots-rock jam “Spend the Night,” but the smile fades away quickly with “Diamond Rings 2007,” which finds McCauley lamenting, “It takes my life away to think of you as gone,” over twangy guitars. You have to feel for the guy who displays a fighting spirit, yet continuously falls on hard times. The bass-heavy prayer, “Christ Jesus,” contrasts sharply with the light and airy, yet melancholy, closer “What Kind of Fool Am I?”
Over the course of fourteen songs, War Elephant provides an eclectic mix of acoustic guitars, classic rock crunch, and twangy steel, making it an excellent listening experience for the roots-rock enthusiast, or just about anyone else who enjoys emotionally-charged music with melodic charms. McCauley’s passionate performance truly brings these songs to life and drives the album into “must hear” status.
Peasant's On the Ground
Blitzen Trapper's Furr
Neva Dinova's You May Already Be Dreaming
The Tallest Man on Earth's Shallow Grave
Cotton Jones' Paranoid Cocoon
Check out Deer Tick on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/deertick).