Album review: THE DAWN BROTHERS – Dusk
Website [Release date 16.07.21]
Welcome, one and all, to the official baptism of a new creed, the revitalization of a long-loved and well-trodden genre – Rotterdam’s The Dawn Brothers excellent new release, DUSK, hereby puts a firm stake in the ground and proclaims the arrival of Dutch-icana. In exactly the same way as the Stones and the British Invasion re-introduced America to its very own blues legacy an incredible 70 years ago, these guys continue to re-package and re-imagine Americana to great effect with more than a little infusion of the Dutch-Delta.
As is now standard for the Brothers, sophistication and simplicity go hand in hand in the song-writing on this album of feel-good compositions which lyrically touch on the innocence of by-gone times, the yearning for lost love and the unending promise of a drive on the freeway. But it’s the tune-smithery which sets the Dawn Brothers apart from the crowd. These songs are all crafted in the time-honoured style of The Band, CSNY, the Springfield and the Byrds – so much so that the iconic Laurel Canyon sound, epitomised recently on Jakob Dylan’s homage to the era (“Echo in the Canyon”), is channelled directly through the veins of these Rotterdam rockers…..and then some.
I’m always reluctant to write up a “sounds-like” review – The Dawn Brothers stand pretty much alone, or certainly head and shoulders above the crowded space – but for the uninitiated, the vocals range from the calming caress of Roy Orbison to Bas’s unmistakable Dylan-sneer backed by harmonies reminiscent of The Eagles or the Willbury’s.
From the opening track, “Junk”, the listener is immediately picked-up and immersed in a dreamy, creamy soundscape and a jaunty, summer-breeze chorus – perfect for a top-down day in the sun to get the junk out of your trunk. Maybe a reflection of the band’s decision to re-locate to the French countryside to make this album.
“Toss and Turning” takes on more of a Petty-ish edge and is as catchy as, dare I say it, the Delta variant. “In My Dreams” is a slow-ish burn but reveals itself as a sun-kissed California late afternoon….maybe towards dusk….a track which has the band gelling beautifully as ridiculously accomplished musicians. Those parties in the Canyon, many moons ago, would have seen the Buffalos and the Byrds joined round the fire by the Brothers Dawn and who knows what might have happened after that ?
My personal favourite and album stand-out track, “Corners of My Mind”, kicks off with a lovely Appalachian lilt and chugs along into a mid-tempo, riding-the-trails beauty. That Dylan-sneer abounds through a gripping middle eight and strong chorus – and then that geetar solo – yee haw and slap my thighs. Levon and The Band would have loved the competition from these relative whippersnappers.
Another favourite, “Tomorrow Never Came”, blends traditional “talent show and rodeo” story-telling with another very strong, single-worthy three minutes of poptastic Dutchicana. “Hold On To Your Love” and “So Long” close the album with proof that the Brothers can apparently pluck a damn good tune out of mid-air, the latter being a gorgeous keys-soaked lament. And then, of course, the obligatory driving song, “Vista Cruiser” – Knopfler licks meets Squeeze vocals over an ‘80s XTC bassline – super clever.
As we sadly lose more and more of the original professors of Americana as they get to “that age”, their legacy is safe in the hands of the Dawn Brothers and their merry-band of close-knit Dutchicana cohorts (Next of Kin, De Wolff on their non-heavy days, Mitch Rivers, Tim Knoll, etc – the list is unbelievably long). Wake up Americana-lovers….the torch is burning bright in Holland and will do so for generations at least as The Dawn Brothers take us back to their garden in retro-21 style – all the hallmarks of true and trusted retro song-writing but ingrained with 2021 vigour, energy and sensitivity. Certainly their most accomplished record to date. *****
Review by Mark “Mad Dog” Shaw
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