Ohio’s Drose stopped by the xlv Studio and recorded a live in-studio “Pirate Session” Thursday night. The band played at Kung Fu Necktie the night after. The guys are doing a short East Coast tour to promote their recent 7″ A Voice. Check these guys out! (They’re big in Europe!!)
Drose – A Voice 7″ (no label)
There is definitely a modern-day noise-rock sound, the sort of vague area in which so many bands tread (for better and worse), and while I suppose Drose could be considered another noise-rock band, they seem to have wandered off the path entirely, far removed from any signposts of what a band could or should sound like. Which, in their case, is a pretty great place to be! There are four tracks on A Voice, and this is some really brittle, confounding music – most noise-rock bands try to emulate the killer committing the crime, whereas Drose present themselves as the post-arrest confession, during which the killer feebly breaks down into tears before being carried away to processing. It’s just those damn vocals (care of guitarist and presumed namesake Dustin Rose) that make this one so peculiar. He has this quivering voice that never screams; rather, he sings these distraught lyrics over music that sounds mortally wounded, like the strings are being snapped off with pliers and the drummer is slowly choking on car exhaust. Kinda Harvey Milk-ish in the way these arthritic songs barely move, but there isn’t a winking eye for miles, just a dangerously confused mind at work. A uniquely strange record, the sort of thing I’d only need to hear a few seconds of before instantly recognizing it as Drose, and one that those in need of a twisted art-rock fix should certainly seek out. – Matt Korvette (Pissed Jeans/Yellow Green Red Blog)
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