Whistle While You Freeze--In The Valley Of The Dying Stars--Superdrag's 3rd



Euthanizing The Gloom

 It's a little embarrassing that I overlooked the merits of Knoxville's Superdrag for so long, but I have been listening to In The Valley Of The Dying Stars a lot the last few weeks. This is simply a great rock record, and anyone who has listened to a lot of rock bands from the last 50 years can appreciate the many influences evident on these songs. First and foremost there is an obvious Big Star and Teenage Fanclub influence at work here. Lead singer John Davis has an uncannily Chiltonesque voice. But you can also hear older classic groups like The Beach Boys and The Zombies, Cheap Trick and more current trendsetters like Husker Du, The Posies, Velvet Crush, Guided By Voices, The Wipers, The Replacements, and shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine. This is the only recording I have of them, and I definitely need some more.


Check out Superdrag performing Big Star's amazing Back of A Car at a Tribute show this year. He also filled in for Alex Chilton, performing with Big Star (Jody Stephens and The Posies) for a few numbers in another Alex tribute this May. In his words, "I'm stoked out of my mind to be here".



I picked up In The Valley at a Borders store at lunchtime, when I was feeling a bit stressed out at work a few years ago. I was actually looking for a Supergrass album, but I saw this and I liked the cover and title. For some reason I intuitively thought this would be great. So I listened to it, and was apparently not too impressed by it, as I proceeded to forget all about it. But here it is in heavy rotation in my home today. Every song is saturated with big hooks, sometimes buried under a big pile of guitar, but never completely submerged. Not a single duff track here folks.

The album starts out with a band with Keep It Close To Me. Like many of the songs there is the Big Star influence, but they follow in the path of bands like Jesus and Mary Chain and Husker Du, by layering big sheets of guitar distortion below super hook laden melodies. In the recording studio you can turn a whisper into a howl. Baby's Waiting has riffs very reminiscent of early Teenage Fanclub. This is the kind of music you want hum along to in your car. Most of the songs are under 4 minutes so the songs don't stretch on interminably. One of the best here is their longest, The Warmth Of A Tomb, which is basically a shoegazing update on The Zombies (Brief Candles), with some dark Beach Boys lyrical imagery and harmonies to boot.
Bright Pavilions is a brilliant shoegazing styled track, particularly in the chorus. Sonic Heaven.



Judging from this Cd, these guys can do no wrong, at least in my estimation. If you like Cheap Trick, just listen to True Believer. What a great song! On Ambulance Driver they are practically channeling Alex Chilton & Co. My personal favorite (tough choice here) is Some Kind Of Tragedy. Despite the title it is a very upbeat pop tune with characteristically dark lyrics. Probably the happiest song ever with the lyric "this inconsolable world of suffering" in it. Actually I just changed my mind. I think I like True Believer the best now, with its heavy Husker Du vibe A la Hate Paper Doll. I'm probably saying this just because I'm listening to it right now.

I Need Pains To Get Me Feeling

A perfect example of why you can't go wrong with this record. I'm so pleased that I returned to this record and gave it a real listen. This Tennessee band will make you happy too, if you give them a chance. If Weezer can be Millionaires, why not these guys??? Though I do make a lot out of the bands many influences, they are a fantastic band in their own right who take what they like and bring to a new and interesting level.