Alice In Chains
The Devil Put
Dinosaurs Here
(Universal Music)
4/5
I love that odd album title, and I love the fact that these guys are proving, like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, that they’re not just grunge revival (ugh, sorry ‘bout that). Instead, AiC are as heavy as ever, exploring a sound here on their second album with vocalist William DuVall that is as firmly rooted in dirgey, doom-y metal as ever.
He’s proven it by now, but it should be reiterated: DuVall has done an excellent job at replacing the deceased Layne Staley behind the mic.
The CD is dark but not inaccessible, as the soaring chorus of opener “Hollow” proves. The band manages to sound prickly and unlikable while maintaining a toe-tapping, well, likeability.
At the core of the band’s sound, once past those depresso vocals that just make you never want to stand upright again, are the riffs. Check out the main one on “Stone.” That, in a nutshell, is what loud guitar-based music is all about, and the reason why, even though this band was lumped into a time and a place pretty hard, they’re crafting timeless tunes, on this album just as good as they ever did, if not a bit more obtusely and off the commercial path. More power to ’em for that.
-Greg Pratt
Chris PiccoThe Beach
(LDR Music)
3.5/5
Recorded live in Newfoundland (hey, wait, no you don’t know what it sounds like!), this acoustic singer/songwriter guy has a bit of indie swagger, country drawl, and some maritime fiddle accompaniment. But the maritime vibe only lasts for the first song.
This 32-minute disc is warm and inviting, with a production sound that brings out every wonderful inconsistency and human touch, while Picco’s voice is likable in its plaintive way.
Picco’s strength lies in his balladeering: the sobre “You’re So Real” trounces all over “Real Estate Man,” which comes across not as Dylan homage but as Dylan parody. The title track packs an amazing, lonely punch.
The songs will stick with the listener, best exemplified in opener “Rodeo Girl,” but found all throughout this disc, which would work just as good on a warm summer night as it would a dreary, wet morning. From one coast to ours, this is Canadian music. It’s not timeless, but Picco has the goods to keep making above-average tunes that will appeal to many.
-Greg Pratt