Customer Reviews

The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The follow up to 2005's stellar "Catch Without Arms" is finally here, and while "The Pariah, The Parot, and The Delusion" won't be winning over any non-believers, it certainly shouldn't be a disappointment for current fans.

The band takes little risks with this release, undoubtedly in light of their obvious predicament. After releasing one conceptual masterpiece, "El Cielo," and the more straight-forward but equally as satisfying "Catch Without Arms," the band must have been concerned with how one finds balance between both albums while keeping everyone happy.

The new album manages to find that balance. Fans of the earlier work will be relieved to know that dredg hasn't gone in a more commercial direction; which, if I remember correctly, was a big concern for some after the last release.

The songs on the record should get better with age, unlike the immediately good but quick staling ones off of "Catch Without Arms." Also, the experimental edge missing from the last release is back in full-swing; Indeed, "The Pariah, The Parrot, and The Delusion" is perhaps dredg's most experimental record to date.

Of course, there's a flipside. Despite sharing a "Brushtrokes" type interlude technique (here, they're called "Stamps of Origin"), the conceptual aspect seems to be existent only on the surface. The album never reaches the conceptual heights of "El Cielo," and if there's some deeper theme to delve into here, it's blown right past me. You won't find the diversity of the previous albums here, either. For the most part, the songs all carry the same moods and move at the same tempos.

The album isn't bad by any means. It's just not the aesthetic statement fans are likely waiting for after four years of vacationing. Still, there's something here for everyone- U2's-esque soundscaping guitar solos, more experimentation with different sounds than the last Radiohead album, and a more heartfelt aesthetic approach than that of--well-- any Tool album. It could be that the album takes to few risks; low points are as few and far between as ever, but the highs aren't nearly as high as on previously releases. It may also just be that dredg just isn't the sort of band that can afford to wait almost half a decade between albums.

I give "The Pariah, The Parrot, and the Delusion" an 90/100, or 4.5/5; rounding up to 5/5.

After four years of waiting, Dredg's fourth studio album can be yours for only a reasonable sum of money! This recording of music by one of Matt Jacobs' favorite bands is finally here, and well worth the price of entry! It's not as great as their last two albums, but this music is so good you'll be completely puzzled at how no major review outlet will give this band the time of day! Marvel at how despite the radical shift in the band's sound over the last decade, they've never failed to make something interesting. Tremble before the might of the rocking bass lines. Be slightly disappointed at the continued lack of lyrics in the accompanying booklet. Ignore the fact that the band members are probably really pretentious because you like their music anyway. It can be yours, today!

Included among this album's 18 tracks are:
- 3 catchy singles
- 7 more full songs
- 4 instrumental interludes of varying length
- 4 "Stamp of Origin" tracks, bite-sized musical nuggets to round out the experience
- And more!*

If you can't enjoy the thrills to be found in songs like "Pariah", "Ireland", "Information", "I Don't Know", "Quotes", and others, then I don't know what the hell's wrong with you and frankly I don't want to talk to you anymore! Act now!

*There is no more.

This album contains the refined essence of Dredg--focused, smart, and hard-hitting modern rock fronted by a passionate singer and backed by an incredible group of musicians. The drums, especially, are creative without being busy, and add a beautiful rhythmic dimension to the songs. I am blown away by this record, basically. The production is very tasteful--you will hear strings, keyboards, the works, but it doesn't detract from the Dredg sound. The vocals are more present and harmonious than ever, understated and simple, with mature melodies that eclipse anything on the prior albums. This album seems to signify a happier band. The lyrics and mood combine to give the impression that they have learned certain realities about the world, and they are now comfortable with who they are. And this is really the fundamental difference from past Dredg albums. Before there was an agonizing, yearning, almost depressed quality to the music. Here we find the band set free, a band comfortable with themselves and their music. The result is possibly the best album of 2009.

In all honesty, as the day of The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion's release approached I became a little scared that maybe all of the hype and anticipation I had set up for myself would fall right through the floor. A few days after its release, I bought the album, carefully put the CD into my car stereo, and began my fourth Dredg experience. Before the first song had even finished, I knew that this CD was going to be something special. Its been almost 3 days and the CD still has yet to leave my car stereo.

About four years ago was the first time I was introduced to Dredg and listened to "The Canyon Behind Her". I later bought El Cielo and was floored by the near flawless construction of the album. After El Cielo I bought Catch Without Arms, again absolutely mesmerized by each track. Leitmotif was obviously the next buy, providing me with an origin for this band I have come to absolutely know and love.

Dredg has thoroughly proved to be one of those bands that will continue to grow for quite sometime. It took four years and a couple delays for the sound of The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion to hit are our ears. To say the least, it was well worth the wait. The new album is cramed with 18 tracks, which was another fear of mine once I bought the album. I thought Dredg may just be stuffing in as much as possible. Not so. The structure of the album is very reminiscent of El Cielo. Instead of being based around a Salvidor Dali painting, the album is based off of a Salman Rushdie essay, and instead of Brushstrokes the CD is broken up with Stamps of Origin. The new CD still has some of the poppy, dance sounds found on Catch Without Arm tracks, such as "Mourning This Morning" and "Drunk Slide". With the poppy sound there is still plenty of songs with hard guitar riffs that sound like distant cousins of songs from Leitotif. Also like Leitmotif, The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion are also sprinkled with some instrumentals.

The new album is definitely a push foward. A band that is already fantastic has become even better. The lyrics are heartfelt and thought provoking and the music is solid and powerful. Dredg fans will be thoroughly pleased and I'm sure there is a lot offered to even those who've yet to be introduced. The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion is nothing less than spectacular and is another great installment to the ever evolving sound of Dredg.

Dredg is one of the few bands that I enjoyed all of the way through my teenage years and have carried into my young adulthood. While my musical tastes have drastically changed over the past decade, there was, and still is something about Dredg that I have always loved. El Cielo originally caught my attention, which lead me to check out Leitmotif and then eagerly await the release of Catch Without Arms. While there is something in each of these albums that I greatly enjoy, my only issue with Dredg has been their lack of consistency within each album. Their best songs easily carry each one, but I've been waiting for them to release an album that flows strongly from start to finish. The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion is that album. I will admit that I did hear a leaked version and was not very impressed at first, but after picking a copy up the day it was released everything changed. I've listened to the album all the way through at least 10 times over the past 36 hours or so and it keeps growing on me more with each spin. They have finally done it for me - successfully combined all of their beautiful, aggressive, and powerful sounds into a full hour of stunning music. Oddly enough, some of the best moments on the album somehow fall within the instrumental movements and bridges between songs, without taking away from any of the songs stand alone power whatsoever. I would normally offer my favorite tracks at this point but I simply can't choose. With each listen I pick out new parts I previously didn't hear on almost every song. Believe me, they are all worth a listen. I really can't recommend this album enough. If you don't like it the first time you hear it, give it another listen, I promise it will grow on you!

This record is not bad at all, considering half the songs are instrumental or segues. El Cielo was brilliance and epic. Catch without arms was a very good "intellegent pop" (as i would call it) record.
This album goes over the top with poppiness, that would have been good if imediately following up the previous record.

Also, it feels like they wrote excellent parts, and kinda just threw it all in a blender. "Pariah", Information", and "I Don't Know" are the highlights. Others have interesting parts connected to not so interesting parts "Savior"

There are too many instrumentals and segues to really help one person stay focused on the art presented.

I love progressive music and music that goes above and beyond, but this band seems to be turning into The Mars Volta, capable of writing good songs, insanely talented, but very unfocused on where they want to go.

I recommend getting El Cielo or Catch Without Arms, and only download a few tracks from this record.

Dredg's first album in four years, "The Pariah, The Parrot and The Delusion," is the first since their debut to be recorded without the supervision of a record label and the pressure to deliver a "hit" single, and it shows. Reverting more to the structure of their sophomore/break-through album, "El Cielo," while retaining the knack for writing conventional songs that they fine-tuned on "Catch Without Arms," Dredg may have very well made both their most ambitious and most accessible effort to date.

For Dredg, it's all about moving forward, which means no more 20 minute long interludes/instrumentals but also, no restraint. As good as "Catch Without Arms" was, it was all too obvious that they were holding back, thanks to being on a major label and still being relatively young in their career. With the maturity and freedom they have finally attained on "The Pariah, The Parrot and The Delusion," the California foursome leave no sonic stone unturned. A band truly in love with the art of making music, they will explore and expand whenever and wherever they can. If it means writing a "bumping," radio-friendly single with a hip-hop beat ("Saviour"), then so be it. If it means peppering your album with bizarre interludes like "R U O K?" that feature digitized vocals or "Long Days and Vague Clues," which could easily serve as the score for a Tim Burton flick, then that works too. The bluesy "Lightswitch" or the more modern-rock-ish "I Don't Know" help off-set the balance, but it's the sleek and cool R&B of "Mourning This Mourning" that best sums up Dredg's adventurous nature and their ability to make just plain good music. What really stands out here, though, is the fact that Dredg are no longer confined to being just an "art-rock" band, nor are they held back by catering to a mainstream that they will likely never fit into anyways.

The songs are great, and the musicianship is top shelf. It's every bit as experimental as you expect Dredg to be, while being every bit as cathartic and emotional too. Four albums in and over eleven years in the game, they show no sign of slowing down and have yet to sacrifice a shred of credibility. Longtime fans will rejoice at somewhat of a return to form for the band, while those late-comers who prefer a slightly easier-to-swallow sound will no doubt be enlightened by all "The Pariah, The Parrot and The Delusion" has to offer. If you have made it to the end of my review and you still aren't convinced, take my word for it: This is the best album you'll hear all year.

I bought the vinyl version only (hoping it might contain the CD, or at least a digital download of it). Turns out, this is just the vinyl - so I'll have to return to the store to score it on CD. But that can wait. Because right now - - I'm enjoying myself far too much listening to this 2LP, beautiful gatefold record album on my turntable (just like the old days).

First impressions. I'll be honest - halfway through my first listen, I had my doubts. I even experienced that sinking feeling you get when you start thinking "Oh no ... they're going downhill . . .past their peak--". (Reason I felt that way, in a nutshell, was the songs seemed too tame, without enough punch or edginess, at first.) Truth be told: the second time I was midway through this fabulous record, I began to hear the light. It is simply gorgeous, and packed full of mysterious melodies and unique instrumentation. It is a masterpiece of textures. The songs take their time, in delivery. The interludes (something they haven't done since El Cielo, with its "brushstrokes") on this record are outstanding. Beyond mere "mortar" that holds together the "bricks" of songs - - these (called "stamps of origin") truly and seamlessly blend the seperate songs together into a cohesive whole that could only have been provided by mature artists at the peak of their game. Here is a band that has certainly earned their post-Floydian comparisons. (Only I'd earnestly suggest to you jaded types that the Pink Floyd comparisons are wholly without the "downside" of such. You'll not find any tired or beaten motifs in these recordings.) Despite this association with the legendary British band that brought the world Dark Side Of The Moon as well as Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Dredg's music is wholly their own and is not in the least bit derivative. The Floyd comparison is really just a desperate attempt to suggest their level of talent and originality. I could just as easily say "screw the Pink Floyd comparisons - this is Dredg we're talking about here", and be spot on the money. Most original and moving rock band of the new century, hands down. No band that I can think of has a vocalist to match Gavin Hayes' depth of emotional delivery, nor can they equate the power in his pipes. MJK, for instance, can sit right down with headphones and lose himself entirely, listening to this. They are the freshest and, in my seasoned yet modest opinion, BEST alternative band America has to offer, right now.

On with the Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion: After three listens, all doubts were erased and replaced with dumbstruck wonder. What at first listen appeared to be somewhat lax or dull, reveals itself instead to be meticulously worked out, sparse beauty. Some riffs which at first seemed pedantic - blossom out into straight up heavy. Gone are the singles-as-fired-from-a-machine-gun that exemplified their previous album. They are replaced with an elaborate and incredibly thoughtful execution of intertwined melodic construction. Small wonder it's been four years since Catch Without Arms. When you sit down and listen to this album - carefully, paying attention (with headphones would be ideal) - you will be rewarded with what I now consider to be one of this decade's greatest contributions to the alternative-rock canon. There is simply no escaping the power and magnitude of Dredg's fourth studio achievement. Those fans who give this a cursory listen and dismiss it - - do not deserve the bounty of its riches, in my honest opinion. They deserve nothing more than to be sentenced to a year of listening to the new Black Eyed Peas album, or to just give it up entirely and go clubbing to the latest techno dance house music. This is not for you.

I spent the entire afternoon giving this rich, amazing, and rewarding album multiple listens, all alone in my house. Like I said at the beginning of this "first impressions" overview - I had my doubts, on the first listen. If you have an ounce of faith in your soul, any doubts you might harbor will be fully eradicated as well, should you hang in there and give to this music even half as much as it gives back.

In conclusion: Dredg is far from taking a nosedive or passing their creative peak. They are at the top of their game, and their "Senior Effort" is a watershed moment in not only their career, but for contemporary alternative rock music itself.

This was the first Dredg album I've heard, and I was enchanted by it. It has that prog feeling of songs interconnecting and becoming just one great musical piece. On the other hand, there is a sensible touch to it, with songs a little more mainstream. And that is what makes this album a must-have for those who dig a progressive feeling to a more commercial profile. Great songs and great production. The audio could've been better recorded and mastered, but it is overall a great album.

Dredg created a bit of a dilemma for themselves with their 2 most recent albums. El Cielo remains in my top 5 all time albums for being an amazing concept album about, of all things, sleep paralysis. Their next album, Catch Without Arms, revealed Dredg as a surprisingly song-centric band, not trying so hard to form a complete thought with an album as much as to make a stab at a radio-friendly sound without compromising their art. The new one quite effectively reconciles the two distinct worlds with a record that, though epic and conceptual, has enough catchy, single-worthy material to keep your focus. "Information" is one of the catchier songs they've ever come up with, mixing a fragile piano line with a driving drum beat, and an unforgettable chorus. Then you have more twisted songs like "Quotes", that dives back and forth from a deliberate march of a verse to a slow splash of a chorus as the tempo drops a good 20 bpms. And they make it work. Then, wrapping up the album, the brilliant instrumental "Down To The Cellar" gives you a lump in the back of your throat and lets you conclude the album in whatever way the music hits you. And that's the beauty of Dredg - even though they do a fair amount of sharing their philosophies on their records, they are ultimately artists still, allowing the art in the form of music to speak for them, not using the art as a platform. (track to sample: "Information")