altrok main 7/9/2004

for July 9, 2004

Review: The Damnwells, "Bastards Of The Beat"
by Jeff Raspe

Artist: The Damnwells
Album: Bastards Of The Beat
Label: Epic/Red Ink

Brooklyn NY-based band The Damnwells have a new album, their first full length release, "Bastards Of The Beat." Lead singer Alex Dezen's songs straddle the line between alt-country and alterna-rock in a Replacements/Soul Asylum way. From the more raucous songs like "Sleepsinging" and "Kiss Catastrophe" to the unbelievably sparse "I Will Keep The Bad Things From You," in which you can hear Alex (presumably) turning pages. And if you take a close look at the credits you'll notice that 3 tracks were actually recorded inside a Manhattan Mini Storage.

[A 90.5 The Night program note: Join us Saturday July 24th at the Saint in Asbury Park when The Damnwells, Ben Arnold, Ari Hest, deSoL, and Steve Conte help us out with the 90.5 The NIGHT Summer Benefit Concert.]