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THE DEAD C Dead C (Language) New Zealand’s best kept secret; Thurston Moore of the world’s best loved ‘alt.rock’ combo Sonic Youth would certainly think so. He told the UK’s biggest-circulation ‘difficult music’ magazine The Wire that "one of the the most interesting bands in the world were The Dead C". Their fifteenth album - wittily titled DR503C - is only the second to come out as a local release in NZ this decade. The others have all been released in the USA or the UK, on taste-making imprints such as Siltbreeze (Philadelphia) or Shock (London). This has enabled them to preserve their anonymity at the local supermarket, while still trucking the units and cyber-hobnobbing with the big boys across the globe. As a result the Dead C. were recently touted in Melody Maker as one of the two best rock bands on the planet (the other being Fushitsusha), and are regarded internationally as one of the more influential of the NZ bands of the last decade. They have been tipped as an inspiration for outfits as diverse as Flying Saucer Attack, Pavement, Labradford and Bardo Pond; in addition members of the group have been lately active in other outfits such as Gate, A Handful of Dust, the Renderers - all the while remaining to all intents and purposes invisible within the NZ ‘industry’. |
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I love the Dead C. It's been 3 years since their last album, Tusk, and the void has left me hungry for more material. This self-released double CD marks the beginning of a new phase for the boys, showing quieter, more subdued instrumental interplay. The Dead C are entirely instrumental this time, as the Dead C are focusing on mostly improvised music that strays pretty far from their more familiar noise-rock sounds. I've been likening this album to their masterpiece Driver UFO (from Harsh 70s Reality), only expanded over two discs. The weird ambience of their crazed guitars is central here, and Robbie Yeats' drumming is more decorative than focal. Disc two is a bit more organized than disc 1--when listening to both discs in order, it feels like disc 1 is a big warmup. The fidelity is as low as ever, but as the music is somewhat quiet, it sounds pretty good. I've mostly listened to this record while sleeping. It's a great record to conjure incredibly bizarre dreams. The Dead C (like the Sun City Girls) have developed a really unique way of musical interaction. The years of improvising together have given these guys a collective mind that no one could ever duplicate. I sort of miss Michael Morley's tortured vocals, but with the Dead C, there's no knowing what will come in the future. Review@Fake Jazz Click on album image to see larger album cover
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