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Surprise releases are often some of the best you'll hear. Now, I was previously a fan of Desert City Soundtrack, enjoying both Funeral Car and Contents Of Distraction, but until literally two weeks ago I had no idea that the band was coming out with something new. Luckily, I did find out, and here I sit writing the review for their newest and best output yet, Perfect Addiction.

Taking cues from the morose, mood-shifting arrangements of the Black Heart Procession, DCS use a variety of tempos and instruments to get their songs across. While the band is only a trio, they're able to seamlessly and eerily implement organs, pianos, and a trumpet to create a full sound integration that's often reserved for bands with at least 4 members. Regardless, listening to any of the twelve songs would never lead you to believe those tracks were created by a mere trio. All twelve blend incredibly well, making for one sweeping experience.

Most fans will note this as a bit of a departure from the style the band used to exemplify. Long gone are the anguished vocals and crunching post-hardcore guitars that were a staple of their studio albums and live shows just the same, and in their place are the somber, low-key moments that populate this most recent release. With a change of drummer and a change of style, DCS exponentially reap the benefits, as they're able to pull off the style just as well as their contemporaries in Three Mile Pilot and the Black Heart Procession. The band is still able to let loose with squalling guitars and strong vocals as the closing moments of "Let's Throw Knives" would attest to. Sporadic loud moments aside, for the most part, they keep things to a mellow, emotional pace. The guitars hold steady at a low hum while singer Matt Carrillo effortlessly guides the listener through his subtle vocal nuances. It's all about tone with these guys, and an eerie one is set right from the gate. The delicate piano keystrokes lay a beautiful base for songs like "Batteries" where Carrillo's wistful vocal approach can really take flight, as he sings "Now it may stain his every thought, but it's not what she'd want at all."

"Playing The Martyr" is the closest that Desert City come to returning to their heavier, former sound, and it's also one of the strongest tracks on the album, with tense, wiry chord progressions and intertwining piano that offer a great contrast to the rising volume of the track. While I do appreciate the contrast, and the band's songwriting ability, and the fact that they incorporate both types of sounds, it just feels the band is better suited with the direction they've taken on this album. They're still extremely tight, and extremely sound musicians, but the eerie, subdued grooves of most of these songs are spectacular. "No Signal" shows some heavy organ usage that when added to the already potent guitar and drum combination makes it all the better.

Deep Elm continues to put out spectacular albums, and Desert City Soundtrack's latest is absolutely no exception. From the gorgeous vocals of Carrillo in "Whatever The Cost" to the harsher moments in the aforementioned "Playing The Martyr," it all gels into one solid package. Morose, driving, eerie, rhythmic, this three-piece has created a record that defies the number of members they have. Not one to miss.



People who liked this also liked:
A Day in Black and White - NotesThe Wayward - The WaywardStabbed in Back - A Portrait of NoiseA Shoreline Dream - A Shoreline DreamKnut - AlterAgoraphobic Nosebleed - PCP Tornado [reissue]Cheap Sex - Written in BloodWhen We Fall - A Cry in DespairHaunted Life - The DeclarationPulling Teeth - Vicious Skin



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    Posted by blade-runner on 2005-09-18 09:25:01

    "Fucking band eats more dick than a 4 cent filthy whore".

    Prostitutes actually EAT dicks these days, whooah, what have I been missing out on...

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 17, 2005 at 4:08 PM (EDT)

    Pretty good? You've got to be kidding me. This is worthless.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 16, 2005 at 2:25 PM (EDT)

    Latterman is ten times better, but these guys are still pretty good.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 16, 2005 at 12:34 PM (EDT)

    Fucking band eats more dick than a 4 cent filthy whore. Stop listening to this trash.

    Posted by swank on 2005-09-16 04:02:39

    I would totally change the name if I were them.
    SO many people have issue with it.

    Posted by boba_fett on 2005-09-15 20:32:58

    desert city soundtrack vs. motion city soundtrack

    who ripped off who?

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 at 11:45 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Great album, uninteresting review.

    -Chinatown

    Posted by ghostmonkey on 2005-09-14 09:35:47

    cheers for the stream, but i downloaded it from emusic last night, havent had chance to listen to it yet

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 at 8:10 AM (EDT)

    moss icon thats it...great band.. thanks

    Posted by Anchors on 2005-09-14 01:29:44

    Tonie Joy was in Moss Icon, and most recently The Convocation Of... if that's who you're thinking of.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 at 1:12 AM (EDT)

    anchors what emo band was the guy from born against in....some ebullition band i think

    Posted by Anchors on 2005-09-13 23:40:34

    I don't know about you Will (because that anonymous comment screams your stupidity,) but reviews generally take me less than an hour, and counting ones published and not, I've written probably about 175. I've written reviews for a about a year now, so do the math on the hours.

    Nice try though, really, you are clever.

    Posted by stevejonestherealbones on 2005-09-13 22:29:48

    Anchors has over 30 reviews lined up because he has no life.

    and youre gonna read/comment on everyone of em....

    - jones the bones

    - stevejones8770@yahoo.com

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 10:25 PM (EDT)

    Anchors has over 30 reviews lined up because he has no life.

    Posted by Anchors on 2005-09-13 22:07:10

    Hey look, Will has another problem with one of my reviews. That's pretty crazy.

    Posted by theownzenator on 2005-09-13 21:12:24

    I was so wierded out when I saw these guys last time. I got there expecting the crazy, spazzy DCS that I knew and loved, and then I got this... It took me a while, but I really started to dig what they were doing. I can't wait to hear this album!

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 9:02 PM (EDT)

    "Sporadic loud moments aside, for the most part, they keep things to a mellow, emotional pace."

    What? "mellow, emotional" pace? What in the fuck does that mean? What does "emotion" sound like, genius?

    -Will

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 4:34 PM (EDT)

    Ghostmonkey...

    You can stream the entire record here:

    http://www.mywire.org/444

    Judge for yourself.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 2:56 PM (EDT)

    There's three "city soundtrack" bands.
    Sandy Vagina City Soundtrack being the third.

    -Not-To-Regret

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 2:56 PM (EDT)

    I'm pretty sure they were around before Motion City Soundtrack and what they play isn't trendy unlike MCS.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 2:47 PM (EDT)

    Fuck this trendy garbage

    Posted by stevejonestherealbones on 2005-09-13 13:35:29

    how many city soundtrack bands are there?

    - jones the bones

    - stevejones8770@yahoo.com

    Posted by Inspection12e on 2005-09-13 11:55:09
    My Score:

    Fucking awesome!

    Posted by ghostmonkey on 2005-09-13 11:52:31

    this had better be good - last time i went on a recommendation i got the Youth Group lp, and bar one or two songs, that was rubbish

    Posted by maverick on 2005-09-13 09:47:43
    My Score:

    I think this album is really good, but I wish there were more spazz-outs like on Funeral Car. I felt like that album was the perfect mixture of melody (see this record) and chaos (see their first EP). This is definitely still good, I just wish it would've been a little bit more balanced.

    -Scott

    Posted by blade-runner on 2005-09-13 08:00:57
    My Score:

    yes

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 7:28 AM (EDT)

    Is it just a wierd coincidence that their name is so close to "Motion City Soundtrack"?

    Posted by blade-runner on 2005-09-13 02:14:15
    My Score:

    Oh so Good.

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