With its debut album, Dead Confederate had already garnered significant attention with an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Listening to Wrecking Ball, it's easy to see why the band has drawn some attention with some big players like Conan.The album begins with "Heavy Petting." This track piqued my interest immediately. The vocals are reminiscent of Kevin Kinney of Drivin' n Cryin', while the overall sound and energy is a little more like Drive-by Truckers. I'll admit it. When I first heard this album, I thought that Dead Confederate (like Drive-By Truckers) went with the 3-axe attack. DC goes with only 2 guitars, but the sound the guys produce is big.
The intriguing sound continues with "The Rat." This song sounds like a cross between Grandaddy and early Radiohead. It's a little dark and spare, with vocals that remind me of Thom Yorke. The spare feel continues with "It Was a Rose," which has a very psychedelic sound with plenty of reverb.
The band throws a little curve into the mix with "All the Angels." This track begins with a rumbling bass line. The verse of this song has a sort ethereal sound (like Grandaddy) while the chorus is pretty energetic (a la Drive-by Truckers).
I know one thing for sure. The album has only ten songs, but you won't feel cheated by any of them. The songs are generally in the 6-7 minute range, with "Flesh-Colored Canvas" weighing in at a healthy 12+ minutes.
This is a solid debut album and I can definitely see why Conan had this band on his show. It's music that is hard to categorize (pyschedelic-alt-country?, Bakersfield via Athens, GA?), but easy to enjoy. I expect a lot of good things from Dead Confederate in the future.
