Customer Reviews

Dumbest Magnets

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

 

 

After a year of seeing bands like Wilco, Pernice Bros., Old '97s, and the Jayhawks and being disappointed at the lack of emotion behind the performances of songs I liked on CD I'm so glad I accidentally found Dolly Varden. It seems that their last CD was recorded by Bundy K. Brown(Tortoise) and featured David Grubbs(Gastr del Sol) and Julie Lui(June of 44, Rex) so when I bought Dumbest Magnets I was expecting Chicago indie minimalism. Instead I got an emotional feast of slide guitar and male and female vocal harmonies recalling Linda & Richard Thompson at their best. Somehow they mix the sadness of Mazzy Star's first disc with the pop sensibility of Magnetic Fields. All in all they put the whole lot of "no-depression" bands to shame by producing music that is simultaneously honest, engaging and heart wrenching.

this is my favorite record of the year and one that i can tell i will still be listening to 10 years from now. every song is remarkably well structured, played and produced. someone below compared it to Richard and Linda Thompson's Shoot Out the Lights, as high a compliment as one can pay a singer-songwriter record. i agree but maybe for a different reason. Magnets is sort of the emotional flip side of Shoot out the Lights - Dawson and Christiansen explore their own successful marriage, which is a much harder thing to write about convincingly and with depth than relationship disintegration. but Magnets isn't the least bit sappy or self-congratulatory. to the contrary - it is a very serious, thoughtful record with alot going on below the surface and left unsaid between the lines. but if you don't care to dive into the lyrics, the record will win you over anyway with its strong melodies and wonderfully nuanced vocals. i disagree with the person below who found Dawson's songs unoriginal and lacking. in fact, i would rate one of his song's from here, "Balcony", as maybe my favorite song of the year, up there with Bob Dylan's "Things Have Changed". if you like intelligent pop music, i would very highly recommend this record.

This album is fantastic. I first heard Dolly Varden on the Bob Harris show on Radio-2. Check for great music www.bobharris.org and listen in on Saturday evenings. Dolly varden's album is so well crafted and the music is relaxing, challenging and the vocals are haunting. Musically it is brillaint from the very atmospheric "Apple Doll" and "Too Good to Believe" and the title track "Dumbest Magnets". Truly a gem...

This CD rocks, flies direct, avoids being maudlin but also avoids being sappy. Intelligent lyrics and tasty music, all original, by turns melodic, high-energy, noble. There is a broader range of styles and arrangements than usual: straight-ahead ballad, to near-Lyle-Lovett, to fun-lovin', guitar-powered rocker to near-Van-Morrison half-time feel.

The lead vocalists twine around each other, sometimes apparently into one undulating voice. The band backing them is solid -- I particularly like the intelligent, quirky solo guitar.

Buy it!

This cd rocks. its great for anyone who just like good solid music. great sound. unique vocals. it's the best new cd i've bought!

Steve Dawson and friends never fail to entertain you, and this is one of their best yet!

Get it!
D

I was excited by the idea of an alt-country Mazzy Star; unfortunately, it's not that good. The lead male singer Stephen Dawson, is okay but rather ordinary--a little bit Richard Buckner, a little Joe Henry, but not distinctive in any way. The disk really comes alive when Diane Christiansen takes over the lead. Unfortunately, she only has one true showcase ("Progress Note") and a couple of duets (THe THing You Love Is Killing You" and "Some Sequined Angel") I found myself growing annoyed with Dawson--he would have been better off if he'd given more of his songs to Christiansen to sing, because she blows him out of the water; it actually takes some of the pleasure away from the disc (which is quite good in many ways.)

The Dumbest Magnets is one of the best CDs that I have ever had. It's range of music is relaxing, insightful,and at times energizing. I find the lyrics thought provoking as well as cathartic. But, what I enjoy most is the excellent musicianship. I particularly enjoy the bassast, whose name I cannot readily recall). His subtle bass lines greatly enhance the pieces. Yet, his soulful playing is powerful on Simple Pleasures and Come to Me. I highly recommend this album.