Customer Reviews

We Are Night Sky (Dig)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There's quite a bit of tortured artist in the career of Deadboy's Dax Riggs. Even back in the nineties, fronting grind-glam-sludge lords Acid Bath, Riggs singlehandedly supplied the glam, a crooning superstar trudging through swamps of Eyehategod sludge and NOLA stoner doom groove. The combination was electric, ask anyone how much I absolutely loved Acid Bath and their dark psychedelic tales of butterflies and codeine, death and broken hearts, told in haunting vignettes equal parts druggy acoustic dirge and crushing downtuned groove.

It was only a matter of time though before Riggs outgrew the confines of a metal band and thus was born the Agents Of Oblivion, a slow burning smoldering hard rock band, delivering intensely emotional ballads wrapped in thick guitars, incredible hooks, a sweetly psychedelic haze and Riggs' even more prominent velvetty croon. Totally channelling the spirt of Bowie and Bolan, Riggs was a serpentine superstar, howling and cooing, above a thick rich web of warm groovy sound. But still, Dax Riggs Superstar remained an acquired taste, a completely underground phenomenon. The Agents splintered and Deadboy and The Elephantmen were born, the sound was nearly the same, some of the members too, as they self released another amazing record that sort of just disappeared.

But now it's 2006 and Deadboy is reborn, as a two piece, the Elephantmen replaced by Riggs's girlfriend Tessie Brunet, and on Fat Possum of all labels, which makes absolutely no sense until you hear We Are Night Sky. The record starts off with a wild rock stomp, equal parts the White Stripes and labelmates the Black Keys, with Riggs' voice swooping all over the place over an impossibly hooky riff, and lots of strange start stop dynamics. At first I was a little bit bummed, this was NOT at all what I wanted from Riggs at all, but the more I listened, the more I got sucked in and now that track is an everyday play. The record definitely veers back into classic Riggs / Agents territory after that with delicate acoustic guitars, hushed vocals, Brunet's sweet harmonies in the background, each track a psychedelic swirl, all drifty and druggy and folky and oh so lovely.

But before you know if, a fuzzed out riff kicks in and we're back to serious blown out bloooz rock territory, huge swaths of swaggering Stripes / Keys / Crows rock and rhythm and blues, always with that distinct NOLA stoner groove, no matter how subtle, I can tell it's there, muted murky riffs explode above Tessie Brunet's simple solid drumming as her sweet understated background vocals balance Riggs all out histrionics. The whole record continues to sway back and forth dizzily, between Riggs' two distinct musical personalities, his big, foot stomping guitar flailing rock Hyde, and his druggy gentle folky strum Jeckyl, both equally appealing. Still dark and druggy and warped for sure, but just accessible enough to give all those hippy rockers into the Black Crowes and the Black Keys and all day festivals something a little bit weirder and a little bit harder to stick in their ears!

Call it what you want, this is one of the best albums of the year by far. Forget the White Stripes, because Dax Riggs' voice is better than Jack White's, and it really holds its own here (any Acid Bath fan, myself included, would tell you the same thing). The production is stellar too... you have no reason to NOT buy this album!

And besides, their live chops are impressiver too. They did a ripping cover of the Pixies classic 'Wave of Mutilation'. Trust me, this band is going places...

Simply said, Dax Riggs has one of the best voices in rock. Few vocalists possess his range, soulfulness and uniqueness. The man sings with a tortured croon drenched in NOLA swamp sludge. Acid Bath fans also know his pained shrieks and his hauntingly dark lyrical imagery.

The good news is that We are Night Sky presents some of Dax's most energetic and crisp vocal work ever. Deadboy and the Elephantmen's stripped down guitar-drum set up actually allows Dax's voice to shine and dominate the music.

A few of songs on We Are Night Sky are also extremely good. Stop, I'm Already Dead and Ancient Man are instantly catchy, soulful and have some great lyrical imagery. Dax exclaims in Ancient Man "I can hear the churches burning, I can feel the fire's melody". There are other dark little lyrical bits throughout the album. Blood Music has a great out of control feel to it. I also like a couple of the softer songs like No Rainbow, How Long the Night Was, and Dressed in Smoke.

The main problem with We Are Night Sky is that it lacks some depth on repeated listens. While there are no truly bad songs, there are only a couple that I would call stellar. The softer songs tend not to be as compelling as the louder tracks. Another reason why it loses my interest is the musicianship. Outside from Dax's spectacular vocal performance, there isn't anything to write home about. Tessie Brunet, while an able singer, is not much more than adequate. Dax also isn't much a guitarist. Perhaps if all of these songs were consistently great then the musicianship wouldn't be a big deal in replay value, but they're not.

Dax's previous band, Acid Bath had highly skilled musicians who could navigate convuluted stoner rock riffage and odd time signatures that added an element of unpredictability to the music. Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy's first album also had great vocal performances from Dax and lush musical soundscapes(Deadboy had some cool piano parts too).

On another note, Deadboy and the Elephantmen's first album is definitely worth checking out. While it is impossible to find at a reasonable price, you might be able to find it on the internet somewhere. Agents of Oblivion is also really similar. Metal fans should give Acid Bath a try as well.

To sum it up, Deadboy and the Elephantmen's We are Night Sky is a solid entertaining effort with great vocals and no small amount of soul. It also contains one of Dax Rigg's best vocal performances and his catchiest songs.

I'm hard pressed to come up with any legendary/cult metal (or even un-legendary)singers who have transcended their past with as much trailblazing style as Dax Riggs. He's in a league of his own for taking the road UNtravelled by metal legends before him. Debates over the merit of a particular type of music follow him around pretty closely nowadays, and thats a valid gripe coming from some fans wounded ears; dark wave/acoustic garage rock/gloom-punk-folk isn't for everyone.
But for those of you with an open mind, the new Dax Riggs material has the danger of not only "selling-you-out", but "crossing-you-over" into other forms of music than the same old metal grind. "We Are Night Sky" gets props for even beating most of the current crop of bands in it's genre in one important respect: Damn, that boy can sing! His voice is a brutal weapon, even when it's sounding morbidly sweet as sugar. Those vocal chords and the unique, dark themes that run throughout his lyrical imagery are the draw on this album. Whether he's conjuring up the picture of witches burning on "Walking Stick", creating his own take on gothic staple subject matter like vampires in "Ancient Man" or just talking about how "My mother she said/Heavens on one shoulder but hell is on the other/ Tied neatly in the box beneath my bed it was the bones of my father" on the ultra-dark "Stop, I'm Already Dead", its guaranteed to never be dull subject matter. It doesn't hurt that the music still rocks hard, either. He's ably backed by Tess Brunet and some studio musicians here.
Dax has been growing towards this style of music for years and it's appropriate that he is finally receiving recognition in the form of a (long awaited) good record deal. With more albums of this caliber, he's sure to rise to the upper echelon of rock artists. Who knows, he might even change his style...again. ;)

Wow looks like ignorance still exists....
Don't listen to the guy saying "oh my god dax has sold out there's no soul blah blah blah..."
If he was a real Dax fan he'd know that this is probably the most soulful project he'd been involved with...sorry that your definition of "soul" means you MUST sing about morphine and death

If you enjoy music, and don't have a 2 year old's hang up about the non existence of acid bath, then you will enjoy the authenticity and energy put into this album.

I definitely recommend this album, for any dax fan, as well as anyone who loves good songwriting. You will not be dissapointed by this cd - a haunting album with one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded.

1st Let me say this , if your looking for what MTV & Fuse call indie music your gonna be left stratching your feeble minded head here.

#2 if you've never loved a demo more than most mainstream music then your gonna be without a reference point to lead you towards the light.

deadboy and the elephantmen's latest release is what indie / garage rock music is all about.Stripped to the bone songs, gutter productions , & more heart and soul than you could buy with 10 Major Label Budgets.

this album sounds like something your dope smoking friend down the street recorded in his garage while you and your buddies got insanely drunk and tried to bed down suzy rotten crotch in the living room.

Forget about the white stripes , fallout boy , panic at the disco & all the emo high school whining crap that's running up the billboard top 200..... this my friend is the crown jewel of indie rock at the moment & i love every minute of it.

Be careful not to cast your pearls to swine.

Ok, this album is drastically different than the original full length release by Deadboy (If this is Hell, then I'm Lucky). While its not as stoner, slow, and beautifully depressing, its still got a dark, underground vibe. Even though Dax brought in guest musicians to add depth to some of the songs, its rather stripped bare instrumentally, which actually works for many of the songs. Its got a few Iggy Pop, Bowie, T-Rex sounding rock jams. Yes, a few of the songs are reminiscent of White Stripes, but much better. What's interesting about this album above all things else is the various recording techniques on each song. Songs on this disc were recorded at different studios with different producers to give it a wide range of atmosphere throughout. Tessie's vocals compliment Dax's tenor-alto singing quite well. Dax is absolutely miraculous on every song. The music is simple, but so real and sincere. Kind of like a Niel Young less-is-more banner for songwriting. Dax has successfully retained musical integrity despite finally hooking up with a record company that can help with distribution, booking, and press. While this is a lyrically and conceptually twisted, strangely beautiful, and altogether inspiring album, I would have to give "If this is Hell.." the upper hand. Deadboy's first album was more psychadelic, haunting, and had more depth. I give it a 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars. Well worth the money. But for any Riggs follower, money is a non-issue. If you get a chance, check out Deadboy live. You will witness the most loyal fanbase. The show will more than likely be sold out with Deadboy fans even if they're an opener. Dax is simply hypnotizing live. Its a very intimate, intense, and memorable show.

First of all, the last guy to write a comment-please use punctuation marks when typing. I not asking to capitalize your I's or even use complete sentences, but pleas use periods and commas, at least. I'm no grammar teacher but come on. Anyway, I am thankful that Dax is still making music, regardless of what genre it fits in or doesn't fit in. His lyrics are still amazing and voice is wonderful. No, it's not acid bath but if you listen to the first Acid Bath and then go down the line to Agents of Oblivion and then to the first Deadboy and the Elephantmen album you can clearlly see this logically progression to this album. Forget all the bull crap about who he is and what other bands he was in and just listent to the music. IT"S GOOD MUSIC!

Check out Tracks No.1 and No.2 and tell me your not impressed. I literally fell in love with this album the first time I heard it, and yes Dax does have a good voice despite what some other misinformed individuals might have to say. Do yourself and your friends a favor and pick this album up. I have heard them live and they are amazing. A band to keep an eye on for sure. Dax is the man!!!

Deadboy and the Elephantmen are a two piece band with a male lead singer/guitar player and female drummer. They just don't rely so much on red and white fashion gimmicks. The lead singer has an incredible voice that rivals that of Peter Murphy and a very able drummer/back up vocalist. Very promising, innovative, and pop-y.