review of album the great emptiness by memphis tennessee band dead soldiers 2017
From Memphis Tennessee
Dead Soldiers
Reveal
The Great Emptiness
By Rob Dickens
I would love to seem them strut their stuff live.
Memphis Tennessee band Dead Soldiers are about to release their second album The Great Emptiness (released on American Grapefruit) this week – 31 March 2017.
Since 2011 the band has been writing and performing, boasting a core group Michael Jasud (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Benjamin Aviotti (Vocals/Banjo/Guitar), Clay Qualls (Vocals/Bass/Mandolin), Krista Wroten-Combest (Vocals/Violin/Keys), Nathan Raab (Guitar/Mandolin/Bass/Keys), and Paul Gilliam (Drums).
Recent showings at SXSW (South-By-Southwest) in Austin and Memphis’ own Beale Street Festival continue the momentum for this energetic band with much promise.
The Great Emptiness opens with the compelling, rolling ‘When I Die, such a passionate statement. ‘White Collar Blues’ and ‘Teddy Bears’ exhibit ramshackle rawness. ‘Old Time Religion’ provides crowing harmonies while ‘Still Climbing The Mountain’ and ‘Georgia Tann’ show a tender side, the former building to an emotional crescendo. ‘A Love Song’ could have been recorded in a bar given its brassy earth-iness. ‘The Smartest Man In The World’ contains some sharp insights and a gloriously full sound. There are urgent warnings a-plenty in ‘Prophets of Doom’ (see clip below), the second single from the collection. The closing ‘Cheap Magic’ leaves us with a strong image of The Great Emptiness.
Dead Soldiers are known to enlist an array of personnel from the Memphis music scene whenever there is space on the stage or the studio, and the collaborative, fun approach is one of the triumphs of this record.
I have been to Memphis a few times (The Total Tennessee Tour that I will be leading will be staying there a few nights in 2017) and reveled in the history of this amazing city. When some new, dynamic music presents itself from the birthplace of rock ‘n’roll, as is the case here, it is all the more significant.
The Great Emptiness Track List
1. When I Die
2. White Collar Blues
3. Teddy Bears
4. Old Time Religion
5. Still Climbing The Mountain
6. A Love Song
7. Georgia Tann
8. The Smartest Man In The World
9. Prophets Of Doom
10. Cheap Magic
Via Signal Flow PR
review of album the great emptiness by memphis tennessee band dead soldiers 2017
review of album the great emptiness by memphis tennessee band dead soldiers 2017
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