What do you get when you mix The Pixies, Black Sabbath, Modest Mouse and maybe even a little Imagine Dragons? I get the feeling you get something pretty close to The Dead Ships. You might be saying to yourself, “Well, dang, that combination is kind of crazy?” and you are exactly right. Just listen for yourself though and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
Citycide is the second album from the Los Angeles trio who claims to have traded punches on their first living room practice together. Their nine-song debut, Electric Ahab, is still available for $6 on their Bandcamp site. Citycide starts off high tempo and sustains that energy through the first half of the album. Each song a strange, yet intriguing mix of garage rock and soul.
The second half of the album keeps with the soul, but the tempo is brought down a touch as the garage rock sound is traded in for a more beach rock vibe. Oddly enough, the transition isn’t disjointed though, in fact it works out quite nicely. Standout tracks include the title track “Citycide”, “Company Line”, as well as the second to last song on the album “Seance”.
There are plenty of rock bands out there today who have even ventured away from the traditional guitar/bass/drum sound for something more synthetic, but The Dead Ships remain nostalgic and prove that guitar rock is still very much alive while they’re at it. Citycide is an all around solid effort from The Dead Ships and a must listen for fans of The Strokes and The Pixies. Check it out below.
