Customer Reviews

Dual Hawks [Vinyl]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been digging into this album for many months. I became so absorbed in it's greatness that I came across and bought the double disc vinyl after getting the CD.
These guys are so above most indie bands anywhere in line with their sound. They sound fearless, bold and beautiful. Will Johnson is a great songwriter with a grasp on all things metaphor and wrapped in great arrangements and powerfully graceful melodies. I don't consider this pop. I just consider it roots- alternative indie rock and very great.
It is so consistent with what they have done previously. But, there is even more depth to the music as a whole piece of work. They are tapping into veins of sonic color (strings, vocals and dynamics). What does anyone need to hear other than a solid top to bottom record. In an era of meaningless american idols. Folks, just listen to the 2 discs over and over again and get inside them while they get in your subconcious.
A fantastic record by a fantastic band.

I have to admit, some of the low ratings are surprising. I was expecting to see glowing reviews all around here. That being said, I can understand that there's a lot to take in on this release. It can be a little overwhelming, especially if this is an intro to Will Johnson's music. His music tends to creep up on me, and this album took a little longer to sink in than his previous work. This IS AMAZING music though. Music from the heart. The CENTRO-MATIC part is wonderfully loud and the recording helps to keep things a little rough around the edges, which helps to create a nice counter to more lush and laid back South San Gabriel part. There's some experimenting going on in it that you might not catch in the first few listens. The songs are dense and catchy in strange ways. It takes some time to fully appreciate them, but it's worth the time spent. The SOUTH SAN GABRIEL part is really beautiful. And if you're familiar with past South San Gabriel releases, you'll notice that Will is expanding on the sound a bit here, and it works very well. The songs are more varied in instrumentation and mood. It makes for a more adventurous South San Gabriel album. The strings are lovely, the songs are stirring and wonderfully written. This is music going against the grain of today's popular music in almost every way. I love it. And I can't wait for the next release.

Oh...and I got this on vinyl, which comes as a beautiful double 180 gram gatefold, with a free download included.

and give both discs a few good spins. Like any other Centro-matic or SSG album these are growers. Which ultimately leads to strong songs that stand the test of time. If you tell me your favorite album has three number one hits on it and that you're not sick of them DON'T buy this CD. You'll have purchased an album with music that slowly grows on you and becomes meaningful, not repetitive pop trash that melts your ears. If you are a fan, you already know what I mean. If not, I recommend starting with SSG's "The Carlton Chronicles", Centro-matic's "Fort Recovery", and Will Jonson's "Vultures Await". If you try them, I mean really give them a chance to settle in on you, and you don't like them...well, I'm sorry you broke your ears listening to Nickleback.

C.B. Leflar from his wifes account ;)

been pretty disappointed with the last two centro efforts. nothing new here. all sounding the same. seem to have lost the edge since distance and clime. love you just the same and flashes had moments, but this is really actually boring.

So Indie rocker fans everywhere can get this kind of 'elitist' attitude to their little personal 'discoveries.' You know what I mean, it's the guy at the work water cooler, that wears the hipper than though clothing and spews forth on his latest band he discovered and all their various merits. That band, maybe Centro-matic, was this indie-super-cool office dude's personal find and that somehow makes him better than you. He knows it and he's working on having you gain a good understanding of that fact as well. Then there's that 30-something soccer Mom you talk to occasionally at your kid's T-ball game. You know the one. She wears Lucky Brand Jeans shirts with the cool skull and roses design on the front and she's always listening to something you never heard of but she swears...after she found out about them, she's proud to be the first listener of the next big thing. It's like listening to R.E.M when Murmer came out, or U2 boy, Josh Joplin Group pre-Useful Music...anyone, anyone? So soccer Mom ultra younger than her age hipster wanna be touts her latest find, "South San Gabriel," and makes you feel somewhat lesser of a musical mensch because of your blank stare and unknowing fuzzy little mind. They both have something on you, their discovery of the next big thing. But fear not, because you read this review here on Amazon first you have one up on them...you know Centro-matic and South San Gabriel is really just Schitzo iterations of the same band...gifted singer-songwriter Will Johnson's split personality. Centro-matic being the rocking kinda alt country Wilco-ish pop bring down the house and the rafters too, lo-fi and oh so sweet personality. South San Gabriel (SSG) being the acoustic chamber new agey easy Sunday morning with Coffee in hand hanging easy on your North Texas front porch breezeway (you know that thing in hot climes that's designed right into your ranch house between the house and the garage) leaning back at peace with God's world older brother. Now, you know.

What's missing here, isn't good music in spades, but the packaging of the two together. Alone Will Johnson made an awfully good slow SSG acoustic set and a mediocre (for him and his high standards)Centro-matic garage sounding lo-fi something is wrong with your speakers record that probably should be on vinyl-only. Will and his two sides of his soul hails from Denton-town in North Texas, that little music bastion where all things good in indie music hail out of these days. Centro-matic, The Toadies, Midlake, Bowling for Soup, Brutal Juice, and even this guy named Roy Orbison all put Denton on the map for the 2nd biggest music scene North of the Texas-Mexico border (well there is Austin you know).

The SSG's disc here will put you in a druggy hazy sleep-induced state. If you aren't hanging by yourself or trying to go to sleep at night or wanting some office-time ambient music playing, this disc should be pulled out of rotation. It's a moody soundscape of a record with a few exceptions. Track 2, "Kept on the Sly," has this certain Midlake easy jam vibe about it. In fact its my and my 3 year old son's favorite dance song of late. Then there is the beautiful and beautifully-crafter CD opener, "Emma Jane," that really is breezy clean sublime. You'll find yourself listening to the SSG disc of "Dual Hawks" over-and-over for a few weeks...but be warned it's not drive to work in the morning get up and get going music.

As far as the Centro-matic disc goes, its back to the lo-fi sound for Will Johnson's centrally automatic crew. "The Rat Patrol and DJ's," is every bit as catchy and urgent as Centro-matic's past standards "Calling Thermatico," or "Flashes and Cables," but unlike on Centro-matic's most excellent CD "Fort Recovery," the sound is back to the real lo-fi sound production of earlier albums which I think hurts the music in this case. The songs could be much more enjoyable if it doesn't sound like the sound producer had the record dial turned all the way up to "11." There's nothing wrong really with modern production where the music is re-created faithfully and clear. I haven't found myself listening to the Centro-matic's disc all the way through yet and I think it's largely because the sound production makes it sound like you have blown-out speakers.

On Centro-matic's website, Will talks about Dual Hawks by saying, "And so here we are. It's an involved batch of music. There's a good bit to sift through, and it's against the grain at points. It begs a chunk of patience and time from its listener. But as far as I'm concerned, that's the point of independent art. It's not always convenient. It's not always tidy and easy to categorize. That's the kind of liberty we get to enjoy as a creative group of people fully in control of our own destiny. This is our ship. Why not paint it and sail it the way we want?" At some level Will, let the fans speak, the fans who believe in you and your music every step of the way...merge your two bands cherry pick your best numbers on any given recording session, clean up the production, and unloose your phenomenal music on the world! From another North Texas bubba...who caught your recent Dan's Silver Leaf concert...loved the Centro-matic part of the show man...mmw