Search - Deadboy & Elephantmen :: We Are Night Sky (Dig)

Still dark and druggy and warped, but just accessible enough

Aquarius Records | San Francisco | 02/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's quite a bit of tortured artist in the career of Deadboy's Dax Riggs. Even back in the nineties, fronting grind-glam-sludge lords Acid Bath, Riggs singlehandedly supplied the glam, a crooning superstar trudging through swamps of Eyehategod sludge and NOLA stoner doom groove. The combination was electric, ask anyone how much I absolutely loved Acid Bath and their dark psychedelic tales of butterflies and codeine, death and broken hearts, told in haunting vignettes equal parts druggy acoustic dirge and crushing downtuned groove.



It was only a matter of time though before Riggs outgrew the confines of a metal band and thus was born the Agents Of Oblivion, a slow burning smoldering hard rock band, delivering intensely emotional ballads wrapped in thick guitars, incredible hooks, a sweetly psychedelic haze and Riggs' even more prominent velvetty croon. Totally channelling the spirt of Bowie and Bolan, Riggs was a serpentine superstar, howling and cooing, above a thick rich web of warm groovy sound. But still, Dax Riggs Superstar remained an acquired taste, a completely underground phenomenon. The Agents splintered and Deadboy and The Elephantmen were born, the sound was nearly the same, some of the members too, as they self released another amazing record that sort of just disappeared.



But now it's 2006 and Deadboy is reborn, as a two piece, the Elephantmen replaced by Riggs's girlfriend Tessie Brunet, and on Fat Possum of all labels, which makes absolutely no sense until you hear We Are Night Sky. The record starts off with a wild rock stomp, equal parts the White Stripes and labelmates the Black Keys, with Riggs' voice swooping all over the place over an impossibly hooky riff, and lots of strange start stop dynamics. At first I was a little bit bummed, this was NOT at all what I wanted from Riggs at all, but the more I listened, the more I got sucked in and now that track is an everyday play. The record definitely veers back into classic Riggs / Agents territory after that with delicate acoustic guitars, hushed vocals, Brunet's sweet harmonies in the background, each track a psychedelic swirl, all drifty and druggy and folky and oh so lovely.



But before you know if, a fuzzed out riff kicks in and we're back to serious blown out bloooz rock territory, huge swaths of swaggering Stripes / Keys / Crows rock and rhythm and blues, always with that distinct NOLA stoner groove, no matter how subtle, I can tell it's there, muted murky riffs explode above Tessie Brunet's simple solid drumming as her sweet understated background vocals balance Riggs all out histrionics. The whole record continues to sway back and forth dizzily, between Riggs' two distinct musical personalities, his big, foot stomping guitar flailing rock Hyde, and his druggy gentle folky strum Jeckyl, both equally appealing. Still dark and druggy and warped for sure, but just accessible enough to give all those hippy rockers into the Black Crowes and the Black Keys and all day festivals something a little bit weirder and a little bit harder to stick in their ears!"

"Swamp rock" ?

A. Thirwani | Columbus, OH | 08/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Call it what you want, this is one of the best albums of the year by far. Forget the White Stripes, because Dax Riggs' voice is better than Jack White's, and it really holds its own here (any Acid Bath fan, myself included, would tell you the same thing). The production is stellar too... you have no reason to NOT buy this album!



And besides, their live chops are impressiver too. They did a ripping cover of the Pixies classic 'Wave of Mutilation'. Trust me, this band is going places..."

Dax Riggs's Most Accessible Work

Mark F | MA | 07/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Simply said, Dax Riggs has one of the best voices in rock. Few vocalists possess his range, soulfulness and uniqueness. The man sings with a tortured croon drenched in NOLA swamp sludge. Acid Bath fans also know his pained shrieks and his hauntingly dark lyrical imagery.



The good news is that We are Night Sky presents some of Dax's most energetic and crisp vocal work ever. Deadboy and the Elephantmen's stripped down guitar-drum set up actually allows Dax's voice to shine and dominate the music.



A few of songs on We Are Night Sky are also extremely good. Stop, I'm Already Dead and Ancient Man are instantly catchy, soulful and have some great lyrical imagery. Dax exclaims in Ancient Man "I can hear the churches burning, I can feel the fire's melody". There are other dark little lyrical bits throughout the album. Blood Music has a great out of control feel to it. I also like a couple of the softer songs like No Rainbow, How Long the Night Was, and Dressed in Smoke.



The main problem with We Are Night Sky is that it lacks some depth on repeated listens. While there are no truly bad songs, there are only a couple that I would call stellar. The softer songs tend not to be as compelling as the louder tracks. Another reason why it loses my interest is the musicianship. Outside from Dax's spectacular vocal performance, there isn't anything to write home about. Tessie Brunet, while an able singer, is not much more than adequate. Dax also isn't much a guitarist. Perhaps if all of these songs were consistently great then the musicianship wouldn't be a big deal in replay value, but they're not.



Dax's previous band, Acid Bath had highly skilled musicians who could navigate convuluted stoner rock riffage and odd time signatures that added an element of unpredictability to the music. Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy's first album also had great vocal performances from Dax and lush musical soundscapes(Deadboy had some cool piano parts too).



On another note, Deadboy and the Elephantmen's first album is definitely worth checking out. While it is impossible to find at a reasonable price, you might be able to find it on the internet somewhere. Agents of Oblivion is also really similar. Metal fans should give Acid Bath a try as well.



To sum it up, Deadboy and the Elephantmen's We are Night Sky is a solid entertaining effort with great vocals and no small amount of soul. It also contains one of Dax Rigg's best vocal performances and his catchiest songs."