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After the wild success of
Pet Your Friends, Dishwalla's sophomore album was
definitely something to look forward to. And You Think You Know What
Life's About was released with little fanfare and one single that
never received much airplay. Destined for a small audience, many missed
out on this amazing record.
Stay Awake erupts
from nowhere. Powerful and impressive, the addition of Jim Wood is
apparent in Dishwalla's overall sound adding depth and subtlety.
The album's single, Once in a While is next, sounding very much
like the first song. In fact, the descending chords always make me wonder
which song I am listening to. A very poor decision to place these songs
together because both are excellent, but the similarities overshadow each
other.
Unfortunately, this trend
continues on the third track with Bottom of the Floor. This gives
the listener the impression that the entire album is the same song
repeated and reworked over and over. I personally like this song, but
having three similar songs in a row becomes exhausting. Healing Star
begins as a complete relief until it continues in the same pattern for
the chorus! Thankfully its verses and bridge are the most compelling sound
on the album so far.
High praises go out to
Until I Wake Up, the absolute best track on the album. This ambient
musical capsule of emotion is the most impressive feat Dishwalla
accomplished within their first two albums inclusively. It's a song you
find yourself drifting away to, replaying over and over at infinitum. The
song is completely inappropriate for radio but quickly became a fan
favorite. It is a masterpiece.
5 Star Day is a
great follow up to Until I Wake Up, beginning with the same feel,
and taking time to build, and the bits of electronica mixed in are a very
nice touch. Truth Serum is another gem on this album, its stalling
backbeat is a great change of pace and the overall ascending chorus is
delightful. It should be noted that this record's production is far more
impressive than the previous, providing for even more depth and layer.
This is also apparent in So Blind, another equally impressive song.
Props to Jim for the key
intro to Gone Upside Down. This song has a powerful groove, almost
forcing the listener to rock their head to the beat. By now the album
almost feels like two separate records, as the first half sounds so much
different than the latter. So Much Time highlights this album's
impressive production, but is still too similar to the descending sound of
earlier tracks. Changing things dramatically is the acoustic based, The
Bridge Song. This is a great wind-down, finale track...but
Dishwalla wants to end this record with power through Pop Guru.
What stands out most in
And You Think You Know What Life's About is how Dishwalla
has managed to blend their sound even further. With all their talent, this
album should have had more attention, but A&M records was folding and did
not promote the record. It is also doubtful that anyone who previewed the
album couldn't get past the similarity of the first four songs and didn't
buy the record.
Who knows if it was the
label or the band that set up the track order, but it is clear that the
better tracks are towards the end of the album. It is actually a great
album, but surprisingly is too long. It takes such a long time to get into
and seems like it takes forever to finish. Good songs, amazing
production...I just need more variety out of my albums. |
