[kwitel]

Completely slipped my mind that it was being released in early June; am gonna grab a copy today.

Anyone listen to it yet?

 

[mwallace573]

I've had it since release day, and I still haven't completely made up my mind about it yet. It is a stronger album than Catch Without Arms though. It's a more consumer friendly El Cielo I guess in that it's got a loose concept/story going throughout the album. Musically it's all over the place, but not in a bad way. They're just trying a lot of different things here instrumentally, especially on the pure instrumental tracks. Oh, and the man can still sing. I don't recall his name, but he's one of my favorite voices in rock right now.

Like I said, my jury is still out on this one, but I've listened to it several times in the last week and it's growing on me. It's certainly aging better than CWA did. Heck, I think I'm gonna queue it up now that I'm thinking about it.

Edit:
Be warned, there are some VERY radio friendly songs scattered here and there to the point of being almost poppy at moments. Nice songs, though I could see how fans of Leitmotif and El Cielo may dislike them.

 

[asmox]

I've yet to hear it, but from what I understand - if you were a fan of Leitmotif and El Cielo but thought Catch Without Arms was garbage, then you'll probably think this album is garbage as well.

I'll probably listen to it at some point, but I'm not expecting much.

 

[bakercj93]

I like it a lot, but I've liked every Dredg release thus far (including Catch Without Arms), so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I've heard this album described as a combination of Catch Without Arms and el cielo....I don't think this is an accurate description of the sound, but I see where it's coming from. This album has some pop songs (that don't sound much like Catch Without Arms), and it also has some more experimental songs, including instrumental tracks and "stamps of origin" that serve as interludes similar to those on el cielo (but they don't sound anything like any song on el cielo).

I don't think I can accurately describe the sound...but guitars are a little less prevalent on the Pariah than they were on previous releases due to an increased use of Piano, violin, cello, and a bit of electronic instrumentation. Gavin's voice has never sounded better, and Dino is as impressive on the drums & piano as ever.

Overall, if you have no stomach for anything remotely poppy, then you could probably skip this album (close to half of the album could be classified as poppish), but even the pop songs have grown on me a lot. It seems to me that they wrote some material that is poppy on the surface, but contains a lot of subtleties that become noticeable after repeated listens. Everything here is still Dredg - there's not one song on the album that could be written by any other band. At a glance, the lyrics to a couple songs may seem like they belong in an unimaginatively cheesy love song, but if you pay attention to the lyrics, you'll realize that the subject matter is not so trivial (the entire album is based on Salman Rushdie's essay, Letter to the 6th Billionth Citizen).

Thus far, "The Pariah", "Gathering Pebbles", and the instrumental tracks are my favorites. "Saviour" is the only song on the album that I don't like. There's a cheesy electronic bass melody that would fit in better in a Peewee Herman soundtrack than a Dredg album (I really have no idea what Drew was thinking).

 

[kwitel]

I am not much of a fan of their poppier work, although CWA has some bright moments.
I just think they do the darker/edgier think so much better...

 

[mwallace573]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmox /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've yet to hear it, but from what I understand - if you were a fan of Leitmotif and El Cielo but thought Catch Without Arms was garbage, then you'll probably think this album is garbage as well.

You hit the nail on the head here. I'm like 50/50 with CWA, and I think I'm the same with the Parrot. I absolutely adore their first two albums.

 

[bakercj93]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwitel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am not much of a fan of their poppier work, although CWA has some bright moments. I just think they do the darker/edgier think so much better...

I agree. el cielo and Leitmotif are still my favorites, but this new one has really grown on me a lot.

 

[Bryan T]

I'm enjoying this one a lot. Kind of odd to hear disco beats and bits that could be on a Michael Jackson record. I like that they keep trying new things.

 

[chinesekiwi]

This album is very different sounding to the first three and I think this throws off quite a few fans. That said, from an audiophile perceptive, this album = the best produced and mastered out of all dredg's albums. Audiophile material? Oh definitely. This album will reveal all the good stuff and bad stuff of your equipment and sound different with different setups.

Musically, different but I think this album shows maturity in the dredg sound with a mix of those 'indie rock friendly' tunes like 'Saviour' and 'Pariah' and the other songs, which are more experimental and the 'dredg sound'. Going back to the experimentation that was absent from Catch Without Arms has definite paid dividends.
Overall, this album is the most solid of all dredg's album, that being there aren't really any weak points of the album at all unlike previous albums, particularly 'Catch Without Arms'.
Having read the mini-review from allmusic.com, it defiantely hits the spot when it says:

Quote:

At 18 tracks, it can be a lot to swallow, but keep in mind that many of these are transitional pieces and rarely overstay their welcome. Obvious singles like "I Don't Know," "Saviour," and "Pariah" may be "modern rock" radio-ready, but they're "mathy" enough for the tech-loving music geeks, highbrow enough for the progressive rock elitists, and emotional enough for bike riding indie rockers.

This album will appeal to a large demographic without it sounding completely poppy and cheesy = a hard thing to do.

My fav tracks:

All of them are rock solid tbh but:

'Information'
'Light Switch'
'Mourning This Morning'

Rating of dredg's albums in my preference:

1) The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion (due to the fact that there's no real flaws in the album)
2) El Cielo
3) Leitmotif
4) Catch Without Arms is a disappointment compared with their other albums.

 

[Bryan T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif That said, from an audiophile perceptive, this album = the best produced and mastered out of all dredg's albums. Audiophile material? Oh definitely. This album will reveal all the good stuff and bad stuff of your equipment and sound different with different setups.

I think "El Cielo" is the best recorded Dredg album. The drums on it sound amazing and the sound isn't fatiguing. The production on "Catch Without Arms" was disappointing after that one. The new one is a step in the right direction, but I think it is a bit fatiguing.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Its definitely a bit harsh and fatiguing, but not too bad. The album as such, I will reserve comments for now since I havent heard it much, but initial impressions are definitely better than Catch Without Arms (big fan of El Cielo here)