[rating=3.50]
Sure Dead Confederate has one of the best band names in rock, but as their name suggests, they stand out amongst their peers with ragged space rock elements that leap with wailing jams and harrowing unpredictability. Their debut full length Wrecking Ball shines with a dark sound that combines the indie credibility of early Nirvana with the ragged glory of Neil Young & Crazy Horse. This isn’t surprising considering the band lists On the Beach (Neil Young), Meddle (Pink Floyd) and Bleach (Nirvana) as their key influential albums. And as the bands lays special thanks to Jerry Joseph and Dave Schools in the linear notes, you kind of know what direction this music takes- dark, jammy and gritty.
From the driving hard rock of “Heavy Petting” to the buzz worthy energy of “The Rat,” Dead Confederate lays out a legion of winners. Lead singer Hardy Morris certainly has a knack for Kurt Cobain like shrills, but has an urgent growl humming atop his dark lyrics. The songs themselves aren’t built for the radio, with many of them clocking in at over five minutes. And just when the band decides to rock with its cock out on “Start Me Laughing, “ it does its Pink Floyd thing on “The News Underneath” and the 12 minute “Flesh Colored Canvas.” And with My Morning Jacket recently gone funky, this could be the psychedelic, echoing alt-country to those that like their rock to rawk.
