The Orwells
Disgraceland
Warner/Atlantic – June 3rd 2014
By Joshua Khan (@blaremag)
Find it at: iTunes | Insound | Official Store
7.6
On 2012’s Remember When, The Orwells kept it straight to the point with their gleefully deranged rock eliciting a Fun House-era vice. That record’s sting lives on but Disgraceland does a better job at documenting the cohesion between Mario Cuomo, Dominic Corso, Matt O’Keefe, and Grant and Henry Brinner. It’s less basement noise and the result dispenses a level balance of material: “Southern Comfort” is a death-by-Go-Go’s gem, “Dirty Sheets” and “Who Needs You” are garage fixations, and “Let It Burn” is an unblemished classic that can really only be unearthed on an album that boasts three producers (Dave Sitek, Chris Coady, Jim Abbiss). The Orwells’ disheveled intensity rarely loses it grip, even when it’s “way way way too drunk” on “Norman”, and in turn, it doesn’t lose sleep over keeping you amused. Why? Because Disgraceland thrives on foreplay and when the anchors fall (“Blood Bubbles”), it’s lights out.
Listen: “Southern Comfort”, “Blood Bubbles”, “Gotta Get Down”, “Dirty Sheets” || Watch: “Let It Burn”