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Sound Check

Deftones

4/13/2016

 

“Gore”

Reprise

 

The following statement might seem like a strong one to those who have, at some point, considered themselves to be a Deftones fan: “Gore” is the best album the band has ever made. DeftonesChino Moreno might very well be the best voice in metal music today, and “Gore” puts his talents to the best possible use. But where the album really finds its strength is in the way Moreno’s voice pairs with Stephen Carpenter’s guitars. As the band dives headlong into songs like “Acid Hologram,” the two artists pair so well, it feels almost like two singers harmonizing together to create something more complex than one voice is capable of. There is so much going on in “Gore,” and so much of it good, that there is little recourse but to acknowledge that this album marks a creative and artistic high point for a band that has already given fans more than its fair share of thunderous tracks. CV

CNA - Stop HIV Iowa

 

Dandy Warhols

“Distortland”

Dine Alone

 

Dandy Warhols — the Portland group mostly known for “Bohemian Like You” — is not a melancholic band. Some distressing things have been written in the past, but the band has tried to keep the party going in its own idiosyncratic way. There’s a level of melancholy involved in “Distortland” that may entirely not be intentional.The Dandy Warhols - Distortland (2016) Much of the album carries what can now be called the Warhols’ “trademark” sound. But the Warhols are older now. And as they have matured and gotten families and home lives, there’s a sense that they don’t completely believe everything they’re putting down anymore. While fans of the band will probably appreciate “Distortland” just fine, the fact that much of the album’s energy seems affected lends the whole experience a feeling of underlying cynicism that keeps it from being a completely engaging experience. CV

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