Superdrag - In the Valley of the Dying Stars
(Arena Rock)
Mm. Rock. Pop and rock. They sure can be generic. And when it starts
generic, it can grow even more generic after listening to it a lot. I hope
these complex ideas aren't too difficult for anyone to comprehend, but it's
leading up to something very relevant. Ready? Well, I’ve listened to
Superdrag’s In the Valley of Dying Stars a lot. Nevermind that I
just received the promo yesterday. I spent a week and a half with my best
friend in the Midwest this summer, and she had this CD in her car’s 5-CD
changer nearly every day. Which means I probably heard this album about two
more times than I’d like.
Sure, at first it was kind of endearing. The hooks of the opening "Keep It
Close to Me" and "Gimme Animosity" are pretty catchy; I can still hear my
friend singing along to them as I listen now. John Davis’ voice isn’t bad,
and the playing is decent enough. But after a short while, all the songs
began to blend together, and I started to admit to myself that I never
really liked standard alt-rock melodies with chorus lyrics like "baby’s
waitin’ for me." After that, each listen went downhill from there. The
melodies that I had once considered catchy started to grow a little too
cloying for my liking, proof that this kind of music, no matter how
immediately accessible it may be, doesn’t often hold up.
So I declare this review the funeral service for my experience with this
record. It’s over. We had some good times, but on the whole, Superdrag, you
were nothing more than generic pop and rock, background music for vehicular
transportation to the better times.
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