Music review: Again

Attend the show

Dynamite Brothers
'Again'

Time: 10 p.m. Friday
Location: The Cave
452 1/2 W. Franklin St.
Info: www.caverntavern.com

3.5 of 5 stars

The Dynamite Brothers sound like an amalgamation of every great rock ’n’ roll band you’ve ever heard before. Most of them, at least. The first few moments of Again, the group’s debut album, recall everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Jack White, and in the midst of shredding guitars and frenzied drums, The Dynamite Brothers assert themselves as a hard-rocking, foot-stomping force to be reckoned with.

The immediacy of the tracks quickly proves to be the album’s biggest asset. The combination of Scott Nurkin and Mitchell Rothrock’s vocals and Shane Hartman’s incendiary bass lines scathes like salt on a wound.

The buzz of electric guitar unites what could easily seem disparate into a clean, unremittingly noisy package, guiding listeners through a set of songs that explores numerous decades and sounds.

While the immediacy and instrumentation on the album maintains its electrical charge, the moderately paced “Can’t Stop Fallin’ in Love” is a clear standout.

From Rothrock and Nurkin’s plaintive growl to the effortlessly cool licks, the song feels like a trip through a cleaner, patchouli-free Woodstock.

The track exemplifies everything the group does well — distorted, uninhibited rock that induces, at the very least, some unconscious foot tapping.

In following the footsteps of such famous musicians, the Dynamite Brothers imitate the greats we all know and love. It’s clear that the band can play a guitar solo that sizzles like August pavement, but when listeners have felt the burn before, the group’s sound feels less inspired.

With its impressive musicianship, the band is poised to soar, but without the necessary dose of innovation, it fails to take flight.

The Dynamite Brothers may not have explored farther than the rock ’n’ roll greats on Again, but for a group of musicians who obviously know every nuance of their instruments, it’s hard to hold any grudges.

With its relentlessly electric set of old school rock songs, Again is the kind of album that proves that a classic sound can stand the test of time and a few generations.  



Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.