North Hills (Vinyl) [Import]

i had never heard of this band until exactly one week ago. i went to the local rock venue to check out deertick and these guys were the openers. i can honestly say that i have never seen a crowd warm to a band as quickly and completely as i witnessed happen that night with dawes. i believe much of this has to do with the sincerity of these musicians as well as their songs which were played with intensity and a full/warm sound that palpably resonated with the listeners.

deertick was fine, but it was dawes that stuck with me. although i was not completely convinced of their ability to conjure, in-studio, the experience of that live show i decided to throw down the ten bones and see for myself. the short answer to my question was 'no', but despite that "north hills" has found a regular rotation in my player for the past 7 days. it is not a great album, but it is very good. more importantly it is an album that seems fits these fleeting washington summer days.

this band somehow evolved out of a band named simon dawes. they shed at least two members and, from what i was able to hear, also shed many layers of musical pretense. while simon dawes sounded a little too obsessed with sounding like so many darlings of modern day pout-rock, dawes' only concern appears to be making a song the best it can be in the simplest way possible. this means sparse instrumentation (guitar, bass, drums, keys) and production flanked by a mixed musical bag of roots americana and beautiful harmonies.

the lead singer, guitarist taylor goldsmith is the sole songwriter on this album which is a bit of a catch 22. on one hand it gives "north hills" a pleasantly cohesive feel, but at the same time does bog the album down here and there with songs that seem just a little too alike ("that western skyline", "when you call my name", "bedside manner"). this, coupled with the lack of priority given to the instrumental aspect of these songs produces the albums weakest moments.

it's a shame as i know, from hearing the band live, that the technical prowess is there. the drummer and bass player (as well as goldsmith himself) are perfectly capable of taking these compositions to the next level. in fact, many of the live arrangements seemed to indicate that these songs had been developed in just this way. perhaps taylor is weary of the songs being changed in this way as it may detract from the lyrical content? if you are reading this mr. goldsmith, i am here to tell you that this is not true. bringing the rhythm section forward and throwing in an instrumental passage here and there will only serve to enhance your songs. it will, in-fact, make the difference between a very good album and a great one.

if you're a fan of stripped down rock in the vein of wilco, the mother hips, and mason jennings then check these guys out. beautiful tracks like "love is all i am", "when my time comes", and "take me out of the city" will keep you coming back to the album. it'll also be a nice primer for the next release by dawes which i predict will be one to watch for.

I first heard Dawes on Daytrotter, and was compelled to buy North Hills. I predict, even though I only gave it 3 Stars, that it will be one of my favorites for a long time. The songs are great, and the performance fits them perfectly. There are plenty of track by track reviews to choose from, and with the ability to hear the songs on any number of internet sites, there is really no reason to provide one. The purpose of my review is to critique the actual recording.

To me, the purpose of recording and releasing an album/CD is to allow others to hear them in an ideal environment. i.e., if you were sitting there when it was recorded. This particular recording sounds more like a Tascam 4-track cassete recorder demo where there aren't enough channels to mic every instrument. Actually, I've heard better sounding demos done with a stereo cassette deck. With the technology available today for home recording, there is no reason budget should be an issue, so I can only assume the band chose to have the recording sound this way. I can only hope the band will consider this and re-record the album in a way that does the songs justice, and doesn't make the listener feel like they just paid for a amateur bootleg. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for some auto-tuned glossy perfection. I only want to be able to listen to it so it doesn't sound like I have cotton in my ears.

With all of that said, I would buy it again.

First heard Dawes on WXPN, their hit play was an instant favorite "When My Time Comes. Great harmony, a true country-rock band with a light touch of gospel. Good grooves. Look forward to hearing more from this group.

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