Concert Fri Jun 19 2009

Sparks Are Gonna Fly

It must be an artist's nightmare to fade out of their career after once being successful. Yet it happens all the time. A band achieves great highs, branches out from the sound that propelled them to be stars and doesn't catch that limelight again. Years later on indefinite hiatus, hardly anyone even notices. Brutal. Catherine Wheel deserved a better fate.

After the demise of the band he fronted for a decade, Rob Dickinson made the move to a solo career and released Fresh Wine For the Horses. The first half showcases a musician appealing to the masses. Its alternative radio-friendly songs seem to exist to expel the notion of his former band as musical chameleons. (Let's remember that CW practically alienated many fans with their third album sounding more like the Smashing Pumpkins and Bush than Ride and Lush.) "My Name is Love" is anthem-like and numerous other moments shine across the front side. However, this record's nothing if not back-loaded. It's where longtime fans can hear the strides that Dickinson's made as a songwriter during his break from Catherine Wheel. There are echoes of his many influences - whether the shoegazing that broke CW, what could've plastered them all over "Headbanger's Ball", or even the ethereal mid-era Talk Talk sophistication. (And, oh wow, does "Towering & Flowering" ever sound like Elbow!) His latest release is an acoustic cover of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want."

Rob Dickinson plays Schubas, Belmont & Southport, on Sunday evening. Local H's Scott Lucas opens. The show is 21+, starts at 8PM and admission is $14.

— James Ziegenfus / Comments (0)