My Dad Is Dead
(Unhinged)
More than 20 years after Mark Edwards adopted My Dad Is Dead as the name for his solo project/sometimes band, he still sounds tense and a little nasal, like Ian Curtis with a greater view of the world. These days Edwards has traded the stark arrangements of his early work (the best of which was documented by Homestead Records in the late '80s) for a full-blown power trio sound. He always featured walls of guitars, but now the trebly sound has more of a roar, which suits the songs just fine. The production of A New Clear Route strikes a good balance, putting the vocals upfront while still giving the music plenty of room to stretch out.
Edwards calls Chapel Hill home these days but he begins the album with something like a love letter to the city that spawned MDID. "Carolina Blue" has a chorus that intones, "Cleeeeeve-land - city of struggle and decay/ Cleveland - I still think of you every day." Anyone else would look like a buffoon singing a line like that. Always someone who had dry humor running through his angst, Edwards makes it work. The band recalls classic Cleveland indie rock like Gem (which also housed MDID drummer Scott Pickering at one time) since the guitars feel heavy without forsaking the catchy quality.
Lest you think that MDID is ready to get happy or sentimental, the mood quickly gives way to vitriol and misanthropy. When he's not singing about being lost metaphorically or otherwise, Edwards offers a generally bleak outlook on where the world is headed ("The Rising Tide," "Walls") and tackles the subject of war specifically ("Indefensible"). Chalk it up to his age, experience or his delivery, but latter song concludes with the thought "Revolution always ends up in a status quo," and the clarity of thought puts all the young political punks to shame. Elsewhere he puts forth an idea in hopes that the next generation doesn't repeat the same mistakes: "It's about unity and inclusion/ and latitude and innocence that hasn't turned rotten yet." Out of context this might all sound trite, but with the guitars are wailing right next to him, it has weight.
Standout Tracks: "Tribal Blood," "Carolina Blue." MIKE SHANLEY
