Derek Grant

Breakdown

Written by: PP on 21/01/2015 23:14:25

Derek Grant's name should stand out from the paper straight away for all Alkaline Trio fans recognizing him as the band's longtime drummer since 2001. He hasn't done much singing other than a few backing vocals here and there on trio records, which starts to make sense once you listen to his solo full-length "Breakdown". His vocal harmonies and melodies are simply nowhere near the level of Matt Skiba or Dan Andriano, despite purposefully aiming to write music that sounds totally different from the output of his main band.

On "Breakdown", Derek Grant explores the world of punk rocker turned singer-songwriter much like many of his brethren before him, including Joey Cape and of course Tony Sly. Except his isn't basically a watered down version of his main band. Instead, Grant takes many stylistic liberties that are likely not particularly interesting for Alkaline Trio fans, given his leaning on Americana that occasionally draws from Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem) as much as it does from established acts like Tom Petty and Elvis Costello, among many others. Soft, acoustic melodies with non-punk styled vocals is a refreshing change from the usual dime-a-dozen singer-songwriter versions we hear by members of the scene, but that doesn't automatically mean the songs are particularly good. Sure, opener "Holiday Breakdown" is fairly catchy, and the added electric guitar on the background of "Lucy" is worth a listen or two, but otherwise "Breakdown" just isn't a particularly memorable record.

Rather, it serves as a channel for Grant to demonstrate his wide variety of inspiration ("Love Is A Bad Dream"'s melody echoes faded memories of The Police, for instance). Granted, that might be interesting to die-hard Alkaline Trio fans, however, as one myself I'm having difficulties getting into the Americana and alt country-fueled singer-songwriter on display here. The songs are anonymous and standard fare in this genre, with little to offer past the first listen. Let's be honest here: Derek's voice is nowhere near as charismatic nor interesting as his colleagues'. It's probably for the best that the record is only eight tracks and barely over 20 minutes long.

6

Download: Holiday Breakdown, Lucy, Good Long Look
For the fans of: Tom Petty, Elvis Costello,
Listen: Facebook

Release date 20.01.2015
Red Scare Industries

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