Music reviews – The Districts; Duke Garwood; Jeff Bridges
Having already established a formidable reputation as a ragged teenage garage band, these four lads from smallville Pennsylvania – who aren’t old enough to drink alcohol legally – have produced a second album of energetic frustration that could grace any underground dive bar with a sticky floor.
A Flourish and a Spoil
Fat Possum Records
Having already established a formidable reputation as a ragged teenage garage band, these four lads from smallville Pennsylvania – who aren’t old enough to drink alcohol legally – have produced a second album of energetic frustration that could grace any underground dive bar with a sticky floor.
In Rob Grote they have an emotive frontman with raspy vocals well beyond his years. “It’s a long way down from the top to the bottom,” he feverishly howls on the eight-minute Young Blood, evoking memories of the early Walkmen and the album’s clear stand-out.
Unfortunately, the ragged guitars and muddied lo-fi garage sound all start sounding the same rather quickly, and the songs can drift into average fuzz-laden college rock territory. It certainly feels as if The Districts are still finding their feet in the studio, as the recorded versions of their coming-of-age songs don’t always do justice to the unbridled recklessness of their live shows.
At their best (Chlorine, Peaches) they ape the youthful buzz of the Arctic Monkeys with bad Kings of Leon haircuts. The potential for scuzzy greatness is obvious.
Heavy Love
Heavenly Recordings
