I read a lot. Over the years, this habit has earned me nicknames such as “nerd,” “poindexter,” and “Dude, you need to get laid.” And while there is a sliver of truth to these accusations, I hope to use my bookish habits as an illustration tool in this, my review of The Necronauts’ Gauche et Droite.
A month or so ago, I attempted reading Homer’s Iliad. This epic struggle between Achilles and Agamemnon, with the meddling of the gods, was fucking awesome… while I was reading it. The problem was, every time I put it down and went to start again, I’d think about the 600-odd pages of epic poetry before me. I ended up feeling overwhelmed and never finished.
Gauche et Droit’s one weakness, the one thing keeping it from being my favorite local album, maybe ever, is its sheer enormity. Two CDs, 40 tracks. Not one a dud, but I just can’t take it all at once.
Where to start? You know those amazing rock bands you grew up with? Or wish you had? You know. The Pixies. Built to Spill. The Replacements. The Necronauts have swallowed them. Whole. And, like the girl in Nightmare on Elm Street IV that gains the abilities of her dead friends, The Necronauts became a hybrid of the aforementioned bands, a bunch more from college rock’s heyday, and their own Tempe-bred frustrations.
Translation: seriously great rock.
Some highlights: “Land Survey (Put Another Bullet in the Chamber)” is Dinosaur Jr. on a particularly good day. “Old Highway 666” is the kind of menacing rock ‘n roll your pastor warned you about.
Droite, the second CD, is a collection of B-sides, demos, and original versions. If anything, it shows that the band takes their music seriously long before putting the finishing touches on. If this were their entire album, they would deserve kudos nonetheless.
There is a flip-side to the album being so long. It’s a lot of great music. Perfect for parties where the keg is PBR. Perfect for a burst of energy before work. So what if it isn’t a headphone album?
And I can’t help but think the album’s length is a big “fuck you.” To who, I’m not sure. Conventional album lengths? Those Tempe musicians stuck in ’94, still trying to make the next Gin Blossoms single? Or maybe to the parts of themselves that thought they couldn’t do it. Well, they did it. And they made one of the best albums to come out of the Valley in a long, long time.
