Album Review: The Dead Religion - The Great Unknown
What’s not to love about a jangle guitar band operating on the fault line between US alt-country and British pop rock. From the often undiscovered outpost of Carlisle emerges an outfit with the sound to travel far and the chops to etch another mark on the great tree of like-minded bands stretching back from the mid-60s to modern day architects. The Dead Religion made a long journey in English terms to play the Maverick Festival in Suffolk on a hot July afternoon. Amidst the dust, heat and plethora of competing sounds, they left a most adorable calling card in a song going right to the core of what makes music special. The good news is that song is not alone as the band send a further gift into the wider world with the release of THE GREAT UNKNOWN.
The track in question, ‘Guitar Pickin’ Man’ resides in the latter stages of this debut record formed of ten songs and lavishly decorating a precious 38 minutes of your valuable listening time. It provides a conduit to a raft of similarly appealing numbers purring with guitar brilliance and subtle touches of pedal steel and harmonica. Its chorus melody is pure aural gold and once entering your brain is destined to linger long.
Alongside the sultry jingly aura, the other heartbeat of The Dead Religion is the softly spun vocals of Benjamin Singh, hitting many high notes when required and doubling up as the sole song writer. However when the full five piece get in the studio or stride the stage, a fine collaborative effort effortlessly flows. The album in all its glory hits the traps hard with demonstrative opener ‘If You Really Love Me’ and never loses its grip until climactic ‘Madagascar’ closes an highly addictive episode. For a second highlight alongside the aforementioned pick, ‘Big Mystery’ blossoms in the penultimate slot adding an element of intrigue and including the title track in the lyrics.
There is the usual thread of influence through the record from the Parsons-Crosby axis of the 60s to pioneering bands of the 80s such as The Jayhawks and Wilco ending with current British purveyors like The Hanging Stars and Bennett Wilson Poole. Taking elements from each by design or not has constructed a sound that takes things forward, not just replicating but moulding a self identity.
Song after song embeds the music ideals of The Dead Religion. The vibes of ‘The Answer’ get under your skin with a raft of chord switches and a fresh swathe of harmony pieces. ‘Cities on Fire’ is a tempered effort lowering the intensity if not the bar. ‘Learn to Let Go’ and ‘Biddy’s Ballad’ lead you to the midpoint with all the succulents part intact, and acres of more jangly guitar. The final two tracks completing the set are ‘Me and You Against the World’ and ‘Rainbows & Butterflies’, both compounding the album’s residual appeal. The former gets better with each listen.
THE GREAT UNKNOWN is one those reassuring albums instilling faith that exciting music is just around the corner. While The Dead Religion haven’t rewritten the rule book, they have taken an iconic sound, polished it and delightfully propelled it into the future. A surefire winner in Americana circles.
