steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Dear and Glorious Physician

Self-titled CD

New Granada

Genre: indie rock

July 11 2008

Four blonde siblings comprise this Floridian rock band, and they spend the thirty minute duration of this self-titled album showing off their training in pop-hook-ology. Dear and Glorious Physician’s songs exude energy and tension, yet they've injected all that noise with a more-than-healthy dose of melody. Nowhere is this better exhibited than in the opening track, “Spooky Action.” A brooding beginning bursts open into a menacing post-punk anthem; Jillian Westfall’s sweet but sad vocals take the song to a whole new level, and the blistering guitar charge that concludes the chorus lends the track a nice Pixies vibe.

The rest of the disc doesn’t live up to the benchmark established by track one, although a similar formula keeps the proceedings consistently entertaining. Among the highlights are uplifting “A Winter Machine” and gritty “I Do Not Think We Are Beyond the Old Mistakes”. Meanwhile, album centerpiece “Frenzy (What Happened Then)” boasts some solid hooks and a lovely sense of urgency, but ends up a tad too long for its own good. Some tracks, like “Memento Mori” and “Kulblai Khan” [sic], are a bit dry melodically, although the album’s overall momentum tends to buffer the impact of these weaker moments. The end result, then, is a very impressive debut album that proves the spirit of indie rock is alive and well. Nicely done.

dear + glorious physician's myspace

81%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 9 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2007]