Login for Favorites
EDIT INFODrive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Tweet
Album Details
- Artist: Drive-By Truckers
- Album: Brighter Than Creation's Dark
- Label: New West
- Year of Release: 2008
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: tosnob on 2009-03-26
RecommendBrighter Than Creation's Dark is the latest album from indie southern rockers Drive-By Truckers and the band's first without guitarist Jason Isbell. Former Sugar bassist David Barbe is once again behind the console.
With songs being contributed for the first time by each of Patterson Hood, Shonna Tucker, and Mike Cooley, the 19-tracks on this epic are quite varied. Yes, most of the songs fall in the southern rock/alt. country genres that we've come to expect from the band, but within those lines we get a wide swing in styles.
The album opens with a plunky acoustic country number "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" before moving on to a gritty rocker in "3 Dimes Down". Hood's "The Righteous Path" marries the country influence to slick power pop to create possibly the most anthemic song in the band's catalogue.
The Truckers move effortlessly from painful and cathartic songs like "Daddy Needs a Drink" to hard plowing rockers like "The Man I Shot". We're also treated to old school country, "Lisa's Birthday", and Neil Young style waltz's like "Self Destructive Zones".
A pleasant surprise is the vocal work of bassist Shonna Tucker. She shows the wherewithal to keep within her range and at her best, like on "The Purgatory Line", her voice comes across as similar to Lucinda Williams or Emmylou Harris.
The band even hits experimental Wilco territory with "You and Your Crystal Meth".
The one drawback of the album is its length. It's obvious the Drive-By Truckers are bursting with ideas, however it does make the album a little hard to absorb.
User Reviews and Comments
Log In or Register to Rate AlbumsTell us why this album is great or sucks ass, or correct the reviewer. If you write enough quality reviews you may find yourself on the editorial staff.
Reviews have to be over 100 words, shorter ones are classed as comments.
Log In or Register to Rate AlbumsReview:
on 2008-12-29 rev flying v Said:
Trying to describe the Drive-By Truckers is like trying to describe the greatness of sweet tea without using the words sweet and tea. So Ill just start from the beginning. The band has been touring the world for almost 20 years without ever making a set list, they record live, and have three prolific song writers who not only write the songs, but also sing the creations they bring to the group. The primary song writer, Patterson Hood has a great voice for any country band. Hed never fit in with Motorhead and certainly wouldnt do well at a Whitesnake concert, but Hank Williams or Johnny Cash would probably have invited him to their Thanksgiving dinner celebrations. Hes got a particularly nasal delivery, which, admittedly was what made getting into this band the most difficult part. But if you can appreciate imperfections being overshadowed by extreme talent, then youll love Hoods contributions. Hes got the songwriting thing down and will take the opportunity to delve into the meanings of his songs whenever he can. Next to him, DBT has Mike Stroker Ace Cooley to do the real southern songs. His drawl is ridiculously strong and as an effect, adds that little bit of extra southern tinge to their already existing southern tinge the sweet in sweet tea, if you will. As a song writer, hes a little bit more reserved than Hood as he rarely strays from a verse-chorus-verse-chorus formula. But on a muggy summer night, sitting on the porch of your Alabama home with a guitar in hand, why would you want to do anything else? DBTs third song writer was recently replaced by bassist Shonna Tucker. She only has three songs accredited to her on this album, but that doesnt mean shes not doing her job well. She can sing, play bass, and write a killer love song that would bring a tear the eye of that guy sitting at the end of the bar at closing time.
So what does Brighter Than Creations Dark have that makes it an album of the year? Well, its DBTs first (maybe second) album that is not based on a concept, which is pretty evident in the lyrics. DBT is delivering songs reminiscing about the good ol days (3 Dimes Down), the downside to crystal meth (You and Your Crystal Meth), their first bring the boys back home story (The Man I Shot), and the story of a movie never made (Check Out Time in Vegas). The songs have also become more personal and almost autobiographical, and musically speaking, their sound is expanding. Where their album Southern Rock Opera remained true to a rock n roll or death attitude, this album has a more varied song selection everything from slow country diddies (Bob, Daddy Needs a Drink) to foot-stomping booty-shakers that sound like the band is playing in your bedroom (Righteous Path, Goode Fields Road). I definitely give this album four stars out of five. If you want to hear the band at their very best, a five out of five effort, then by all means check out The Dirty South and Southern Rock Opera, in that order.
Rating: 8/10
