Customer Reviews

New Devotion

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The High Dials capture the innocence and charm of mid to late 60's pop. Crooning/hazy vocals, catchy melodies, and Byrds-like jangly guitars dominate 'New Devotion'. Strands of early The Who, The Beatles, and even a twinge of psychadelia run throughout the album. As with the cyclical nature of music, another case of retro concepts coming full-circle. The High Dials' sound are really unlike bands from the Elephant 6 label, eg, Olivia Tremor Control, Apples In Stereo, capturing the spirit of a different era, without losing it's bite, without losing it's appeal.

The first time I heard "Morning's White Vibration" on Little Steven's Underground Garage, I was instantly captivated by the upbeat 60's style music of the High Dials. I picked up New Devotion immediately and was very pleased with the consistency of all the songs on the CD. This is very enjoyable stuff - catchy hooks, great vocals, top notch musicianship. New Devotion puts a smile on my face everytime I listen to it (which is quite often). My favorite CD of 2003 so far. This is can't miss stuff.

Music steeped in 60's/70's garage/psych rock and done with decent vocals. A great cd under this Canadian bands new name (formerly the datsons or the datson four, some thing to that effect)Pop music the way it is meant to be.

The High Dials from Montreal are one of the better garage-psych bands playing today. One of the highlights of the live show is the closing number when the bass player wails on sitar while the band drives on with lycergic majesty. This album, while not capturing the energy of their live performance, is a great collection of melodic-joyful psychedelic rock. The fantastic vocal harmonies sound a little like an updated and rocking Zombies. These guys are great.

This is what psych is supposed to be! It rocks like hell, and it brings something new to the table, unlike a lot of psychedelic pretenders (the Quarter After, for example). Lives up and surpasses the hype. You won't be sorry.

After seeing The High Dials live, I missed out on the oppourtunity to buy this cd at the concert, and when I found them on amazon it was a huge relief! These guys are awesome, both vocals and instruments are in perfect sync, and sound awesome! It's just one of those cd's that you'll love forever and can listen to over and over again without getting sick of it.

The High Dials manage to adopt classic pop elements to make them their own. The 60's influences shine through. But this is not a "retro" album by any means. Those influences are a starting point, by which the High Dials explore urban alienation and the dream world of a man alone in a looming city. "Existential" ideas resonate throughout the writing and vocals. It's a very interesting and personal take on pop music, especially considering the classic sunny, bright harmonies, shimmering guitars, occasional orchestration and sitar. Every High Dials album (now on their 4th as of 2011) has proven interesting and shown a desire to experiment and change. This album, their first as the High Dials, is their tightest, with the songs being very concise and crisp. They display a sense of economy and purpose, adopted from their more mod influences, yet creating sonic layers, with a tinge of psychedelia. This is one of the smartest and interesting records I've heard in a long time, sounding timeless, yet personal. The High Dials are a band not to be missed.

Fans of High Dials know. Those of you out there who have not heard them this is the album to start on. This mellow intro will let you reminice of past lives and "green grass". See them live and they will blow you away. Their live show is about 10,000 times harder than this album leads you to believe.

I can't say enough good things about this album. If you are a fan of good music, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Don't let the "concept album" thing turn you off - there is nothing gimmicky here. Just some really great rock music that will make you happy!