If there is one thing that can be said about dredg it would have to be that they’ve never shied away from experimentation. From their early aggressive roots to their dense instrumentalism phase, the group have continually evolved and refined themselves whilst perpetually moving forward.
This has also been the cause for some debate amongst their fanbase too however; as the poppy melodic rock and grandiose folky direction of recent efforts have abandoned the more adventurous aspects that helped establish the band in the first place.
It’s certainly a brave path that dredg have forged throughout the years. One that has now led them into the hands of Dan The Automator – who not only produced “Chuckles And Mr. Squeezy“, but also assisted with the songwriting on a number of tracks as well. Not surprisingly then, there is a fairly substantial electronic element at play on this album that accentuates the groups increasingly anemic, vocal driven performances.
Gorillaz this is not though. Instead it is more in the vein of Lovage and Peeping Tom as Dan‘s input appears to have driven the band to scale back their complexity in favor of droning robotic simplicity. It’s a charming direction that certainly highlights the moody atmospherics of the band, but all too often the spotlight is cast almost solely upon the floaty vocals of frontman Gavin Hayes.
Sure the catchy electro/indie rock atmosphere present on a lot of the tracks does feels like new ground for dredg, and yet it also seems like a waste of talent. In dialing back their songwriting, the material is chronically limited to the energy level of elevator friendly smooth jazz.
It isn’t so much that the material or playing is poor though; it’s just that the dire lack of momentum and rare deviances from a plodding, predictable rhythm section and wistfully dreamy vocal approach make for a largely uneventful listen.
In many ways,”Chuckles And Mr. Squeezy” feels like a misstep for a band who are usually able to channel both passion and artistry into a genuinely engaging package. A flat and disjointed listen, the material here suffers greatly from a lack of organic chemistry and jam room development. Rarely do the songs blossom or surprise the listener with color or depth, instead opting to slavishly trudge along.
Perhaps the only real depth comes in the form of the ethnic instrumentation present on the closing track, “Before It Began“, which in itself sounds like a heavily medicated Toto if nothing else. Unquestionably dredg have advanced with each release. But it seems more and more like with each bold step they take in a new direction these days, they leave more of their older fans behind.
