For seven years I have partied, road tripped, rocked out, and then recovered with the southern-rock offerings of the Drive-By Truckers. However, the post-Jason Isbell hangover is evident on Brighter Then Creation's Dark—a country-rock marathon with hints of previous DBT releases on quaaludes. The rumbling hooks that drove Southern Rock Opera and the sing-along refrains of Decoration Day and The Dirty South have been replaced with dreary reflections on alcoholism, loneliness, death and other human struggles that never accomplish the meaningfulness of DBT’s previous character pieces. With a few exceptions, Creation's Dark is an unfortunate slip towards mediocrity—a veritable tragedy when you consider the talent of this group. Don't get me wrong, I don’t entirely dislike this album, but in light of the lofty expectations that I have developed over the last quarter of my life, there were quite a few disappointments and only a couple tracks that excited the senses.Diamonds in the Rough: "Self-Destructive Zones," "3 Dimes Down," "Perfect Timing"
3 Comments:
Do you think it would've been better if they'd cut it down to their 12 best songs? While there are songs I like on the album, some of which you mention, I feel that it drags on too long.
I definitely agree. At over an hour & twenty minutes some of the songs seem forced and unnecessary. I don't have a problem with the shift towards a slower, twangy county focus, but I feel that the songs that try and do that are way too generic.
I'm not a super-fan of Drive-By Truckers, but I heard "The Righteous Path" on Sirius and really enjoyed it. It definitely had the slower, more reflective sound and tone you guys are talking about. Too bad the album seems a little bloated.
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