Dragonslayer for Dummies

Being the resident "Metal" expert and not much of a fan of "indie rock" it was an interesting task to review an album given to me from our "Independent" guru. The genre (albeit a very broad, generic category) as always seemed a little boring and repetitive, with most of the artists sounding exactly the same with an inbred sound. And the vocalists all suffering from life threatening sinus infections. With that being said, my task is to review Sunset Rubdown's latest release "Dragonslayer". Upon first listen, this album treads on very familiar territory sounding like the Thom Yorke led 'fictional' band Venus In Furs from the wonderful 'movie that rocks', "Velvet Goldmine." The opening of the first track "Silver Moons" could have fit perfectly in that movie. "Velvet Goldmine" was loosely based on David Bowie and Sunset Rubdown's lead man Spencer Krug has obviously been influenced by the androgynous hero. The next track "Idiot Heart" has a killer guitar riff to start and continues to gain momentum throughout the song. Overall, fantastic tune. You can listen to a brilliant acoustic version on Daytrotter which only solidifies this song as a classic. The next song "Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!" starts off with Nintendo-style keyboards which continues throughout the first half of the track. Deeper into the song at 3:25 a catchy guitar solo takes off and definitely has my attention. Another strong track. The next two songs "Black Swan" and "Paper Lace" sound similar but fit well with the theme of the album. "You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)" again starts with an electronic keyboard solo that you would hear on old school Sega Genesis games. Spencer Krug's voice sounds less and less like Bowie upon repeated listens as he has his own distinct voice dissimilar to most 'indie' front men. The next track "Nightingale/December Song" is a cool track with a great acoustic guitar riff. Sunset Rubdown does a great job of adding sounds and layers to this tune adding to it's appeal. The keyboards and piano are great. The album has a definite early 80s glam feel to it and NOT in a The Darkness kind of way. To end the album, Sunset Rubdown closes with a 10 minute opus entitled "Dragon's Lair". The song title itself deserves props as it reminds me of something Ronnie James Dio would pen. For 'Indie' fans this album delivers.



Stand out tracks: Idiot Heart, Nightingale/December Song, Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!

Rating: 15 out of 23 spiders from Mars