dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Rating
RIYL
Minus the BearRadiohead
The Apex Theory
Release Date
06/09/2009
Label
IndependentTracklist
1. Pariah2. Drunk Slide
3. Ireland
4. Stamp Of Origin - Pessimistic
5. Lightswitch
6. Gathering Pebbles
7. Information
8. Stamp Of Origin - Ocean Meets Bay
9. Saviour
10. R U O K
11. I Don´t Know
12. Mourning This Morning
13. Stamp Of Origin - Take A Look Around
14. Long Days And Vague Clues
15. Cartoon Showroom
16. Quotes
17. Down To The Cellar
18. Stamp Of Origin - Horizon
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Though they've been a difficult band to categorize, Dredg has always been one of the most interesting. An amalgam of progressive rock, alternative metal, jazz, instrumental rock, and God knows what else, the boys from California never fail to deliver something new and exciting every few years. They've created two absolutely undeniable genre masterpieces (1998's Leitmotif and 2002's El Cielo) and proven to be one of the better live bands in recent memory with their eclectic performances and breathtaking live sets. But 2008 saw the band losing the support of their label, Interscope Records, and found them branching out on their own. The resulting effort was Pariah, an album that is much like its predecessor in one all-important regard: it's not nearly as accomplished as it could have been.
Throughout its lengthy 18 tracks, Pariah goes through various levels of quality. Some of the material is top notch ("Information"), some of it is good ("Savior"), and some of it is just ridiculous ("Cartoon Showroom"). Much of the album's best work is loaded in the very beginning, with 6 of the first 7 tracks being highlight-worthy, but the album tends to lose direction in the middle. Tracks like "I Don't Know" and the misfire instrumental "R U O K" aren't quite horrible, but they're so inconsequential that they should have been left off the record entirely. Pariah starts to gain back some of its momentum toward the end with "Quotes" and "Down to the Cellar" picking up some of the slack, but the hard work of those two tracks is made frivolous by the absolutely inessential ending in the form of "Horizon", which sounds like they sampled the astronaut-speak from The Crystal Method.
When it comes down to it, whether or not you consider this to be a good record is really based on how much exposure you've had to this band. Pariah lacks the hard-rocking edge of Catch Without Arms but has more heart; it's not nearly as inventive as El Cielo but has more actual songs; and finally, it's not as breathtaking as Leitmotif, but it's an easier listen. The bottom line is that Pariah has its ups and downs, which makes it a decent record, but it's Dredg, and we all know they can do a lot better than this if they stopped trying so hard to be different.
--Timothy Golden
Comments
Leeds, England
Back the fuck up... A dredg review with less than 4.5 stars on decoy? Sailing into a shitstorm there :)
Lehigh Valley, PA
I agree with this entire review and rating.
Coopersburg, PA
Me too...it's good but not great.
Baton Rouge
I am happy about this review not because of the score (I haven't heard this album yet, so I don't know what I think about it), but because it reminds me of Dredg day four years ago when a ridiculously awesome amount of varying reviews for Catch Without Arms were posted to this website.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Minnesota
Links to all of those Catch Without Arms reviews are on this page.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
PA
I can understand people not digging every song. There's a lot of songs and a lot of diversity.
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)
Lehigh Valley, PA
And remember kids, Mr. Pandolfo IS Dredg.
Atascadero, CA
am i sensing a 5/5 stars coming when his review is posted?
Decoymusic.com (CEO/Founder)
Blue Reef Design Studios (Web Development)
http://aarontroy.tumblr.com
Lehigh Valley, PA
Do you really need to ask that haha
Leeds, England
I bet Chris pussyed out and gave it a 4.5 haha :)
I agree with everything, Good but not great. Dredg can do better.
Fishers, Indiana
"breathtaking as Leitmotif" Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffttttthahahahahahaha!
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El Paso, TX
As much as it pains me, I'll post in this review and not the other one...
dredg has been pretty much a religion for me for almost a decade, their various symbols are tattooed all over my arms. But as I was expecting it, I can't help but being disappointed with this release. To me, it feels like a logical continuation to Catch Without Arms, which was obviously not anywhere close to El Cielo's level of greatness. I'm sure I'll learn to like it a little more upon listening to it a few extra times, but it just doesn't capture my full attention like Leitmotif and El Cielo did right away, it lacks the mystique that used to surround the band and make them untouchable for me. Gavin's voice sounds too processed at times, and it doesn't feel like Dino can ever show the extent of his genius. There's a bunch of fillers that could have easily been discarded too.
It was predictable given their last release and the current state of the industy, but still feels like a letdown for me.
Dallas, Texas
This record is very good. I'm not at all disappointed with it, nor was expecting El Cielo or Leitmotif.But Dredg still hasn't quite recaptured that mystique that used to make me swear by them.
Baton Rouge
Finally picked this up and agree with this review score. Definitely no higher than a three for me. I miss the mystique as well, and I miss the Sanzen/Planting Seeds guitar textures (only touched in the last minutes of Quotes). The whole album feels kind of aimless. Apparently, more drugs does not equal more better.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Dallas, Texas
Peeps will probably say I'm insane, but this album is actually weaker than Catch Without Arms.
Minnesota
Naw, not insane. I agree.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
PA
Rick's always backwards with that sort of thing.
So yes, you are insane.
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)
Dallas, Texas
Hopefully not by the band's personal cocksucker's diagnosis.
The thing that made Dredg amazing on El Cielo, Leitmotif, and at several points on Catch Without Arms was the guys' knack for innovation. Whether the ideas worked or didn't work -- they left a positive impression. While this new album is good to listen to every once and while, and yes, it is diverse too, there's nothing overly creative or standout-ish about any of the arrangements when compared to other artists of the same genre(s) to make me want to keep coming back to it again and again. And that's what bugs me the most about this album - Dredg is now an afterthought in my rotation of art/prog-rockers.
To briefly mention your review, Pandoflo, the parts of it that made me laugh the most and compare it to "Caveman Jesus Does YOU" were your mentions of Lightswitch and Gathering Pebbles (the latter song sounds like something that belongs on a Disney/Pixar soundtrack!!!). I don't know if it's because your bias nature blinds you or you don't spend enough time in this music category (I'm thinking the former, because I'm sure you do), but mixing organ, western, and violins (as if this hasn't been done before) doesn't automatically make a song brilliant. Art/prog-rock bands blend styles, frequently change structuring and pacing in their songs ALL THE TIME, it's what they are known for -- and Dredg offering up rudimentary and predictable versions of well-traveled themes isn't nearly enough for them to measure up against peers.
Like I said before, I wasn't expecting a rehash of the band's old work. But like Nicholas mentioned earlier, this album has no unexpected or brilliant moments of the above mentioned principles that's on or anywhere near the level of Sanzen, Of The Room, Triangle, etc. and just about everything on Leifmotif. Even CWA stands out in areas. There's no outstanding guitar or bass work, a lot of the lyrics are hokey, and Dino doesn't seem to be doing anything of great praise here. A lot of the brief instrumental songs are pointless, glued on fillers that don't go anywhere or build to anything special like they did on past efforts.