Something Like Sound

When I saw Dead Confederate last week at the Mile High Music Festival, I was blown away by their live set. A flurry of distorted guitars and hard-hitting beats, I was impressed. As part of my post-coverage of MHMF, I got a copy of the group’s debut full-length Wrecking Ball for a review. My first thought: can this record live up to their live show?

From the first few tracks, the listener can’t help but get pulled in to the album experience. The heavily distorted guitars and Kurt Cobain-esque vocals aren’t necessarily a direct Nirvana influence, but something unique. Perhaps the best parallel I can think of right now is Colour Revolt meets Neil Young & Crazy Horse, turned up to 11.

From the firey start, the tracks “The Rat” and “Goner” stick out for their lyrical hooks and composition. “It Was A Rose” changes the pace nicely, with a slow-burning tempo and generous use of slide guitar (a little southern flare from this Georgia-based group). Toward the end of the album, the tracks become more drawn out and much more mellow (“The News Underneath” and “Flesh Colored Canvas” add up to nearly 20 minutes of music).

What struck me about the album-experiance (as opposed to the live experience) was the amount of clarity. Rather than just rocking out, amps all blaring, these tracks take the time and fidelity to develop something that is more accessible.

For more on Dead Confederate, be sure to watch our interview with the band, and hit up their website. Wrecking Ball is available on iTunes, and wherever music is sold. Listen to “The Rat” right here:

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