free record #7: the dilettantes '101 tambourines'

so writing about that warlocks show the other night got me thinking about other jonestown massacre bands. and then i remembered i got the dilettantes debut a few months ago and it was laying around here somewhere. then i found it and listened to it again and i don't remember it being this good. and then i got to thinking that if i had spent however many years with anton newcombe i would hope i would know a thing or two about songwriting.

with this wisdom bestowed upon him, gion and his bandmates create a sound comprised of garage rock's punkish leanings, a mid-90's britpop swagger and the psychedelic noise that san francisco is known for. as for gion's words, the lyrics seem comtemporary yet could have survived the beat generation as well. and not that pretentious either! then he delivers them on a spectrum that contains not only a honkytonked mick jagger and an unpretentious jim morrison but a punkish sneer he could claim for his own. (had billy idol not ruined them for everyone). guitarists jefferson parker and brock galland, bassist nick marcantonio and drummer kc kozak conjure up some rock n roll that has a timeless quality not unlike the brian jonestown massacre. the inevitable byrds comparison is best heard on 'the whole world', yet 'like crazy' could be from one of those nugget's series showcasing 60's underground psychedelic.

wearing california on their collective sleeve thru-ou the whole of the album, the most cali-sounding tunes ('never go without', 'don't you ever fall') are the jefferson parker penned. while other guitarist galland contributes a song as well ('kiss & run') which might be the most rock n roll on the album, with the drums driving along at the quickest pace heard all afternoon. it's got the best solo from the album on it as well. i guess it's no wonder why the writing process is as democratic as it is because i'm sure joel gion was tired of getting punched right in his quiet sidekick mouth.