Lee’s Listening Stack – Dawes – ‘Nothing Is Wrong’
Dawes
Nothing Is Wrong
(ATO)
After an initial album that had critics fawning with admiration, Dawes elevates the anticipation with Nothing Is Wrong, a tellingly titled sophomore set that affirms their quick ascension to the top tier of the Americana underground. A band much loved and admired by all who have a fondness for the Laurel Canyon crowd, specifically the ‘70s sensibilities pervaded by Joni, Jackson, Stephen, David, Graham and Neil, Dawes builds on the borrowed template that was so eloquently expressed in their debut, North Hills. While those golden embers of faraway innocence are still embedded in every wistful sentiment, the consolidation of two years’ worth of touring and a successful side project birthed in the lo-fi conglomerate Middle Brother help affirm their authority. The songs are still draped in incense and patchouli, patched jeans and tattered quilts, but the day-glo designs burn brighter and create a sound suitable for more than merely navel gazing. “Time Spent In Los Angeles,” “If I Wanted Someone,” “My Way Back Home” and “Coming Back to a Man” introduce the album with some exceptionally rousing and resolute refrains, and with few exceptions, the set holds to that tack throughout. “How Far We’ve Come” and “Fire Away” find a celebratory stance that tempers even their most forlorn façades, suggesting that exuberance and empathy need not be mutually exclusive. An album certain to clinch a nod at the top of the pundits’ preferred picks for 2011, Nothing Is Wrong is nothing less than a beauty to behold. – Lee Zimmerman
Lee Zimmerman is a contributor to a variety of publications, including Blurt, M Music & Musicians, New Times, Goldmine and Amplifier
This review appears courtesy of Amplifier, 50,000 Watts of Non-Stop Indie Rock http://amplifiermagazine.blogspot.com/