Feb 21 - SBS Reviews: Dead City Radio - EP 2
By Stefano Blanca Sciacaluga
I’ve never reviewed anything seriously, as far as I can remember, but the other night I was asked to give my opinion on the new EP by local band Dead City Radio. Now, I don’t understand why anybody would want to know what I thought about their music or somebody else’s music, but because I like to give my opinion, however controversial or otherwise, I lay down in bed in the dark, played the EP on my iPad and opened up Pages on my phone to take some notes.
I think I must mention that I don’t even have any recollection of reading any music reviews, ever, as it’s so subjective I truly believe that nobody should listen to what anybody else has to say before formulating your own opinion. But you should listen to me, because I’m a local celebrity and I know a thing or two. So here we go!
I’ve split this up track by track, I’m not sure if this is how it’s usually done but I like it this way.
- You Want It
Whoever decided the order of the songs (definitely the band, probably the band?) was bang on with this one. Everything about this track is on point, there’s great little guitar bits all over, great energy, a great organ in the back, a sweet guitar solo and a nice, clean end. No mucking about. Nice.
- Loaded Gun
My favourite thing about this track was the great base of drums and bass. I recently watched an interview on YouTube with Flea, from the Chili Peppers, and he was going on about the importance of having a solid base in the drums and bass (I know, I’ve done that twice now). The idea is that on top of a solid base…on top of a solid foundation of drums and bass you can build anything and it’ll easily sound good. It’s something all musicians should know but we take for granted and forget. I play bass in two bands and I constantly have to remind myself of this.
You know what else was awesome? The reverb on the vocals. It’s the small things that non-musicians might not pay much attention to, but the way they’ve put this huge reverb (echo for you) in certain places works really well. I also loved the punchy drums and the bit at the end of the track with the guitars and drums. My only complaint about this one is that perhaps I would’ve shortened it a little, it’s more than five minutes long and putting the little outro bit closer to the three minute mark would’ve been nice. Having said that, I can’t fault the structure of the track, everything works nicely.
- Tragedy
This one’s a cover of the Bee Gees. Very nice!
Just kidding, it’s not, it’s another song called Tragedy but funnily enough there’s nothing tragic about it (hehehe). Tightness between musicians in a band is key, and in this tune it shows that these guys have been putting a lot of hours in in the rehearsal room. It’s one that I must admit hasn’t been my favourite when I’ve heard them play it live but this recording has made me change my mind.
I spent a lot of my mid to late teens listening to grunge, and I know these guys did too, and in this track it shows. It reminds me of Mother Love Bone and it made me feel sixteen again. What really gets me pumped about these guys, Dead City Radio, is the build up to the solo. Here’s the thing: there are two things I cannot do, and that’s play drums and bang out a great guitar solo, and I know these guys can really deliver when it comes to the solos.
- Bleed for You
Here I think the bass tone is the true winner. I like this tune, I really do, but it’s the one out of the whole EP where I would make most changes. As I mentioned, I listened to this EP on my iPad, so perhaps it wasn’t the best thing to use, but it seemed to me like there were some guitars missing, like in the second verse, a little distant. The weakest point of this song is possibly the fact that the vocals seem quite forced. I really like James' delivery on this EP but I'm just thinking of how much his voice seems really stressed on this track, and how that could affect the rest of the material on a live set. I also thought there was a lost opportunity for some huge duelling guitars on the solo, to compliment the great ending; which I thought was one of the best things about the song, and not because it meant the end of the song but because it left me wanting more.
So what did I think in general?
Early on in the first listen I was really surprised by the production on this EP. I’ve probably been to 90% of Dead City Radio’s gigs and I can honestly say I felt the energy they transmit on stage come through on the record, which is extremely rare in music, especially when you don’t have the budget that the big bands have. You know what else was great? The fact that I listened to it once through and then listened to it four or five more times, and not so I could write this, but because I was hooked. It might be a good idea that I listened to this on a Monday night and not closer to the end of the week, because it made me feel like cracking open a few beers or pouring myself a whiskey, which wouldn’t be wise when I need to go to work in the morning.
But of course it’s (probably) impossible to make the perfect record, and apart from the things I’ve mentioned there are three changes I would make overall. The first would be to introduce backing vocals. There are some on this record, which is nice, but they lacked a bit of energy, a bit of impact. And that’s something that this band could benefit from live too, I’m sure one of the three other guys could lend James a hand. The second would be to let that organ go wild! I loved hearing the organ in this record, it’s something I’ve always thought would really complement this band. Just imagine a super powerful organ solo! And the third and final change doesn’t really apply much to the record, but in general. I know James backs Robin up on guitar sometimes but perhaps having a dedicated second guitarist could lend everybody a hand and up the versatility of the band. Just think of a harmonised guitar solo, or beefier riffs. Something to think about.
Overall I thought this EP was great. Great songs, great production and even great artwork. So it’s a solid 4.5/5 from me. Nice.
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