NOT( NOT( Rock and Roll ) ) == Rock and Roll.
"Post rock" (or whatever) started when some guys who used to be in some
bands decided to start an instrumental side project that didn't use
guitars. That created a new sound (or rather repackaged an old
sound for the independent music buying public) that led to a thousand
ripoff artists and a new subgenre of music. Now that this style of
music has become somewhat passé, where do these musicians go next?
Dianogah gave their answer about three years ago. By also avoiding
the extra nuisance of having to feed and clothe a guitar player, their
sound started off in the realm of Tortoise's debut album, but it also
looked towards more rock-oriented, vocally driven music to fuel its
instrumental fury.
Billy Mahonie started where Dianogah left off (with their thus far
only album). Like Dianogah, Billy Mahonie's first singles had the
mindset of Tortoise or Aerial M but the heart and soul of Karate or
Seam. On the path from rock to post rock, Billy Mahonie had their
feet planted in the latter, but were clearly looking back towards the
former.
For Billy Mahonie's debut album, someone must have pushed them in the
back, because their feet aren't all muddy with post rock anymore.
Much of this album is basically a lyricless Karate album, not that
there's anything wrong with that.
The album does get off to a sour start on the song "Watching People
Speaking When You Can't Hear What They're Saying." Instead of sounding
like Geoff Farina should be singing "Drive 95" atop the music, the
music, replete with a lame heavy metal guitar part, sounds better suited
to Sammy Hagar singing "I can't drive 55." Luckily, the band puts away
the Van Halen guitar tab book after this song and settles down with
more reserved, focused songwriting.
It is easier to enjoy The Big Dig if you ignore the music Billy Mahonie
is born from and the artists (Tortoise, Aerial M) that they clearly draw
from. This is a very good album of instrumental songs that would fit fine
between Karate's first two albums. In the end, that is what the Big Dig is,
a sometimes-mellow, instrumental rock album. By trying to find where to go
from the point of post rock, Billy Mahonie has wound up back at the
starting point.
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