Take three longtime friends John Daniels (Soda, Maki), Rick Donner (Punchdrunk) and Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse), take a desire to explore the musical landscape to its fullest, from punchy rock to deft indie to emotive americana, and add an inclination to err on the side of hooky tunes, rich sonics, introspective, heartaching and humourous lyrics, and anthemic musical passages and you have a pretty good overview of the fantastically named Bicentennial Drug Lord.
And ahead of their first, full-length album, You Are Never Alone, they give us “Iggy Pop” a reflective glance at where the band comes from, replete with growling Stooges guitars and foot-on-the-monitor attitude. It is a short, sharp sonic shock, a blast from the past, an exploration of the rock and roll mythology, and a reminder of everything that made rock and roll sound so great in the first place, everything that keeps it great as the years roll on.
But unlike most music made in such a sonic realm, it is endowed with a smart blend of poetic descriptions and scene-setting narratives, recalling the trials and tribulations of formative years long gone, half-recalled memories and hazy nostalgia, something that we can all relate to. Dexterous lyrics that feel like a punk Springsteen or if Dylan had ever found a happier place to write from.
What a great introduction to the band, a great way to tease the audience and test the water before the album drops, incidentally, an album at the top of my sonic shopping list, exactly where it should be on yours.
