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American Death Ray
A New Commotion – A Delicate Tension
Misprint Records
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A lot of people have compared the American Death Ray to bands like the Modern Lovers, and the Velvet Underground, which being said isn’t a bad comparison, but I think something lies in the music that has a bit, well, much more punch than either bands (…) could muster; personally, I’m inclined to compare them with Richard Hell and the Voidoids, but I can see how people would put them in the same bracket, a sort of “proto-punk” rock’n’roll, and that being stated, it begins to limit the sound of the band, so forget what I just said. On to the record…
Track listing:
side A:
01 b1 o1j91
02 the new age
03 syncophant
04 push and pull
05 new commotion
side B
06 what the girls say
07 blue cars
08 oh! libertine
09 any given hour
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A New Commotion – A Delicate Tension is the third full release from the Memphis based trio/quartet (depending on the occasion/evasion) fronted by Nick Diablo (’68 Comeback) on Misprint Records, and honestly I’m having a tough time coming up with things to say about these guys, mind you, I listen to this record all of the time, it’s usually playing in my car when I drive, so what’s the deal I ask myself? Hell I don’t know, but I do know I like these guys, and I gotta tell you, this record rips from beginning to end. The high points for me are all of side A, which include the title track: “A new commotion…” “she says, I’m tired of all the shit on the radio, I got to, turn it off and on to somethin’ better…” Don’t we all? The B side is a little more drawn out, but track 3 on side B “Oh! Libertine” is where I think the Death Ray’s sound really comes together, there are some cool tape effects and weird slide work that remind me of them playing live, you know what I mean, a type of noise section where the band transitions from one song to the next. They do it perfectly on the record. Another thing I really like about these guys is how they make these little subtle societal commentaries. Like the quote above. I think these dudes are pretty unsatisfied with this whole modern world, or machine; I guess it depends on how you look at it (I lean toward the machine). It almost seems like an existential look at consumerism and the meaningless of it all. Who knows? That’s what I get out of it. Anyways, if you want some good upbeat non-preachy consumer-wary rock’n’roll grab this record, or go see ‘em play, the shows are better than the record, and for all those vinyl collectors out there, Misprint Records did put out a limited edition press of 100 grey marbled vinyl (I got #50),. So yeah, run to the record store. Buy this album. Vindicate me.
-Brigham Vicious 02/02/04
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