Welcome, welcome faithful readers to my humble music review. As this is the first review that I have written, I would like to quickly discuss the general idea behind these reviews.

I will begin these music reviews with a general discussion of the band, then the album, and then I will take a deep dive into certain songs and what makes them unique from the rest.

Then I will review certain aspects of songs and give each section a rating out of 10 (e.g. Vocals: 7/10). I will then give recommendations for different albums if you enjoyed the album I reviewed.

The album I will be reviewing today is:

Drunk Like Bible Times – Dear and The Headlights

On September 30th, 2008, Dear and The Headlights released their second (and final) album. This album carries constant themes of religion, depression, heartbreak, stress, and loneliness.  Front man and lyricist Ian Metzger said in an interview with his record label that he didn’t want to tell anyone the meaning of the lyrics; “I made a decision after the last record not to discuss the meaning of any of my lyrics… I just found too many people had built up an idea of what the song means to them, and when offered the real meaning of the song, it seemed to cheapen their previous feelings about it.” (http://www.equalvision.com/artists/dear-and-the-headlights/)

I think that the lyricism on this album is its strong suit. Metzger’s lyrics on this album, and his other albums, are unique. I haven’t found another band/artist who can replicate how impressive his lyrics can be. He writes these complex verses with a plentiful amount of complex words, which span over a short period of time. The lyrics on this album are very rhythmic and almost rapped, where at some points it can confuse the listener on when he takes his breaths.

One note that I have on the instrumentals from this album is the notably large use of the woodblock instrument. It gives the song a catchy rhythmic clicking noise and really brings out the percussion on this album. A great example of this being used in their songs is in the song “Saintly Rows,” where at around 30 seconds in you can hear it very clearly.

The sound of this album varies and changes genres multiple times. It is mainly in the style of Indie Progressive Rock, although it is often labeled as “Twee.” Some songs on this album are heavier than others. For example: “Carl Solomon Blues” and “Now It’s Over” are much heavier with louder guitars and stronger drums, while songs like “Parallel Lines” and “Try” are more acoustic. Their final song “I Know” starts off rather slow and a little unnerving… but as it gets further into the song, it gets very heavy with loud gang vocals in the background that really brings a beautiful ending to an incredible album. But this is the last song that Dear and The Headlights would ever make because three years later, after touring for a while, the band would announce that they would be disbanding. Although in 2016, Ian Metzger and a handful of old members from Dear and The Headlights formed a band called The Gentle Hits, which  released one album.

Ratings

Vocals: 6/10

There are some incredible vocals on this album, although there is a notable lack of harmonization on most tracks.

Guitar: 7/10

There are very simple guitar tracks on this album, and often times these riffs are what gives the album its charm.

Bass: 9/10

The bass guitar on this album is absolutely incredible and very complex, and it never feels too loud or too quiet.

Drums: 8/10

There are some really great drum tracks on this album, especially on the song “Talk About.”

Lyrics: 9/10

The fast and rhythmic lyrics, paired with the complex vocabulary of Metzger’s songs, adds a beautiful twist to this album that gives it a unique flair.

Uniqueness: 8/10

Most of the songs on this album have a very different feel, often times changing genres and styles.

Overall Score: 8/10

This is a beautifully crafted album, with incredible lyrics, goosebumps provoking instrumentals, and beautiful vocals on Metzger’s part.

Listen

By the way, you can request albums for me to review. If you have an album for me to review, just leave the name of it in the comments and I will write a review.