Monday, March 20, 2017

CD REVIEW: MEDIOCRE by The Diamond Man Clan




MEDIOCRE 
by The Diamond Man Clan
(GAIN Music)

Swedish based rock band, The Diamond Man Clan return with their sophomore effort, 'Mediocre'. For those new to the band , they have with one foot in the American South, influenced by both blues and bluegrass, and the other foot in Gothenburg, Sweden’s world famous rock lineage. The band is comprised of Paul Bäcklin - lead vocals and guitar, Johan "Weaver" Weber - guitar and backing vocals, Olof Gadd - bass, Anton Södersten on percussion and Felix Hjortstam on drums. Having impressed me with their debut, 'What Sweden Needs', with their blues rock meets bluegrass swagger, I was eager to hear what the band would come up with next?  After a few  listens so far I am really finding this a very enjoyable listen. A many faceted album that has depth and resonance. Is it a change of direction? I wouldn't even say that. More of an expansion of their range. First go around, I was concerned after half a dozen songs that there wasn't enough to stand out. That changed from "Sweet Carolina" closely followed by,  the brooding "Numbing The Brain", the catchy reggae sway of, "Wade", which are all excellent. From then on the album proved it's worth and I have happily listened to it over and over since, with the opening tracks getting stronger on repeat listening. Powerful music with the right punctuated dynamic range to keep it interesting. Varied songs, yet a cohesive album. Right balance between vocals and instruments.  When a band takes steps in a new direction I have to applaud the effort. It doesn't always work out and it's going to divide some fans, but for me in the case of TDMC it works. 'Mediocre' may not appeal to all music fans , but for those willing to give up preconceived notions of what a particular band "should" sound like will almost certainly be won over.
 Highly Recommended


Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society

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