Abilene is a supergroup of sorts combining Alex Dunham on guitar
(ex-Regulator Watts/Hoover), Craig Ackerman on bass (ex-Lustre King),
and Scott Adamson on drums (ex-Chisel Drum Hammer). Anyone who knows
the material of these guys' former bands will have a pretty good idea
of what to expect from Abilene: tight, complex, rhythmic rock . The recording
of this album came about six months after the band formed in November
1999, and this freshness of the material does make the album somewhat
uneven with a few bright spots and even more dull ones. The band seems
very tight for a group together for such a short amount of time; it's just
the songwriting seems a little suspect.
The album starts off with a hard, tough rock song, "Detroit Locker,"
with a solid bass groove that jumps up and down the register along with
a manly blues-like guitar riff. Dunham speaks/sings in a small but forceful
voice, like he is completely in control while threatening you with his finger
pointed directly at your face. The groove here is unflinching, making this
a truly great song. The album closes off with the similarly good "Silversides"
which has a sway to it much like the rocking of a boat with Dunham singing
in a strained voice much like Steve Kuhn of Cole.
Songs like those would make for a great album, but unfortunately much of the
other four songs are largely bland pitter patter. "The Bombardier" and
"Hawk's*Next" go on for minutes without ever actually going anywhere,
quiet, bland guitar parts played at low levels that fail to grab the
ear. "Blackleg" attempts to give the listener a pay off at the end of
the song but it comes off sounding simplistic and cliché, using
just a small burst in volume. "October" is similar to these songs, but
here the guitar and bass parts are much more interesting, following a swirling
pattern for a very hypnotic effect. The payoff here soars, the guitar changing
sound, turning into an approaching pack of jet planes poised for attack.
The scorecard for Abilene's debut shows 3 great songs and 3 bad songs with
no grey area in between. No doubt, another six months of development could
have made this an outstanding album. As it is, the long patches of blandness
make it a bit difficult to maintain interest.
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