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Dinosaur Jr. and 18th Dye are both great, but...

Shawn St John | Houston, TX | 12/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"..there is no comparison. How can I describe this band? Think about Sonic Youth, but don't think about the way their music sounds. Instead, think about their image. Think about their post-punk sensibilities. Think about what they are trying to do as musicians, as artists, as urban cultural icons. Think about how cool they are. Think about how you feel when you tell someone you like Sonic Youth. Feel pretty darn cool, don't ya'? Got it? Good.
Now imagine what it would sound like if a group (make them European for added hipness) were able to translate that philosophy, that coolness into music. I know what you are thinking--Sonic Youth are musicians. But I would argue that the sonic youth myth and aesthetic were never completely translated into music by the band Sonic Youth. 18th Dye did it. In some ways, they were more successful at turning Sonic Youth's essence into music than Sonic Youth themselves. Their sound is more specific, more minimalist more stripped down, more pure and thus, one could argue, more powerful. Less wandering and psychedelic than SY, 18th Dye strips the Sonic Youth aesthetic down to its most vital elements. The music is emotionally charged, yet full of precision and control. You get the sense that these are masters who feel absolutely no need to show off. They sacrifice their own egos for the sake of a cause greater than themselves. They play only what is absolutely necessary to communicate, and nothing more. They have incredible control over their sound. I have never heard more precise guitar feedback from any other band (Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo comes close). 18th Dye's lyrics are cryptic, without any narrative or any emotional cues, and are sung in a way that conveys a detachment and world-weary emotional depth at the same time. They are word pictures abstractly forming pictures of various states of being.
While I like many individual tracks on "Tribute to a Bus" better than any single song on this album (and Steve Albini's production sounds great), taken as a whole, this is also a very satisfying album. I would buy "Tribute to a Bus" first, however. Some of the tracks on that album are absolute genius.
You may be interested to know that Yo La Tengo were big fans of this band, and were largely responsible for Matador releasing their albums in the States. Sadly, 18th Dye have split up. I heard they had amazing live shows, and am still kicking myself for missing them when they came to my town in '94. This was one of the best bands of the 90s."

Just straightfoward power rock-pop with heavy chug.

Shawn St John | 07/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My best find of the 1990s. It's one of those where you have to crank up the volume and play till the end. It's strange that this band never had a large audience. At most, consider 18th dye as a polished Dinosaur Jr with faint traces of some Brit pop but yet still rocking hard core. Finally, the female vocal sounds quite alluring."