In this week's paper, Darryl Smyers talks Athens' Dead Confederate, explaining why Sunday night's show at The Loft is a must-see in his book:
Joined on this bill by Austin's Ume and Dead Confederate's fellow Athens-based Futurebirds, it should make for quite the heavy affair. And, as Smyers says, an impressive one, too.Known for their hybrid mix of alt-country and post-grunge, Athens' Dead Confederate created quite a critical buzz with the release of Wrecking Ball, the band's 2008 debut full-length. That album's bipolar cacophony had many folks comparing the band to both Nirvana and My Morning Jacket.
Although that's a lot to live up to, Hardy Morris and the rest of this spirited quintet seem up for the challenge--so much so that Dead Confederate's new effort, Sugar, shies away from the beautifully jammy histrionics of the debut and actually concentrates more on the actual songs. Being holed up in a New Jersey studio during a blizzard and having recently toured with acts such as Dinosaur Jr. and The Meat Puppets may have also had an effect on Dead Confederate's compositional process.
Either way, the results are impressive. Continue reading...
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