Album Review :: The Orwells - Disgraceland

The Orwells

Disgraceland

June 2 2014 (Canvasback/Atlantic)

7/10

Words: Alison Mack

Second album on the back of two EPs ('Other Voices',  'Who Needs You'), full-length debut 'Remember When' back in 2012, and a ream of talked about live shows, the Chicago garage rockers have employed the services of  Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio), Chris Coady (Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Bombay Bicycle Club). Doed this make it a great album, or merely a mediocre one?

Half and half. While they may often sound like a holy mash-up of many others of a similar style - The Stooges, Ramones, Mötley Crüe, to name but three - what they put together in a live performance is invigorating. On record, whilst lacking the same strength of delivery, the sound is polished, yet curiously the 11 tracks here feel oddly like they are running out of steam.

Lyrically, Mario Cuomo never ventures further than a typical American teen, with overriding themes of girls, drugs, sex and violence. 'Southern Comfort', the album’s opener,  sets the scene pretty much with “I can’t walk, and I can’t dance / So gimme a smile and take off your pants." 'Gotta Get Down' and 'Norman' hone in on images of disturbing violence: "Blood in my hair, blood on my sneakers, blood in the shot glass, blood on my sneakers," is an example on the latter track. The effusive guitar riffs save much with some effective six-string hooks. 'The Righteous One' pummels guitars and a whacking chorus line, while attitude and swagger dominate the stomp of 'Blood Bubbles' and the Pixies-esque 'Who Needs You'.

'Dirty Sheets', undeniably infectious with raw guitar, bass, and percussion, lyrically, probably sums up both the Orwells and 'Disgraceland': "From the East Coast to the West / We ain’t the worst, we ain’t the best / Drink all night, I’m such a mess / There’s something missing in my chest.”