DC Root - frontman of “garage punk poets” ROOT! justifies the hype as this country’s most original, articulate, angry, funny singer/songwriter/spoken word artist. And ROOT! have just delivered their most ambitious statement yet - their new album Surface Paradise – released on Shock Records, July 24. Coinciding with their appearance on ABC’s Spicks and Specks on July 29 and a national tour to follow, Surface Paradise is an epic, hour-long “song cycle” – lyrical themes, chorus lines, riffs, whole musical sections, appear and re-appear through 15 concise blasts of ragged bar-band rock, electro, lush pop, jazz, roots and musique concrete - AND the truly unique vision of DC Root.
And what’s he on about? What or where is the “Surface Paradise”? This is no clichéd West Side Story “rock opera”. DC Root’s brilliance is combining the minutiae of the 9 to 5 everyman with a sweeping vision of a world out of control – a dystopian futurepresent of privatized truth, beautiful newsreaders, product-placement, binge-consumerism, marketing violence, and Darwinian fundamentalism. He takes aim with a steely anger, but there’s also pathos, and there’s humour – and that’s what puts DC Root in a class of his own.
The album was mixed by American producer Rob Feaster, who has worked with No Doubt, Johnny Cash and George Harrison to name but a few. Feaster has emphasized the natural live sound of the band, eschewing studio ornamentation and giving the songs a basic, “balls-out” quality. His brief from the band: “no pisstake.”
The album is the second from the band in their two-year career, which has seen them grow from the subject of initial curiosity (surrounding DC Root’s “alleged” past) into a consistent live attraction with a knack for eliciting superlatives from reviewers. Whatever DC “was”, his new project - in industry speak - “has legs”.
Despite their trademark cowboy hats, ROOT! have been morphing into a muscular rock band for some time, and now attract a strong following across all the major cities, based on their powerful live reputation and the riveting poetry of DC Root. Surface Paradise finally describes where they are right now.
Welcome to Surface Paradise… It’s the smartest dumb rock ‘n roll album you’ll hear this year.
And what’s he on about? What or where is the “Surface Paradise”? This is no clichéd West Side Story “rock opera”. DC Root’s brilliance is combining the minutiae of the 9 to 5 everyman with a sweeping vision of a world out of control – a dystopian futurepresent of privatized truth, beautiful newsreaders, product-placement, binge-consumerism, marketing violence, and Darwinian fundamentalism. He takes aim with a steely anger, but there’s also pathos, and there’s humour – and that’s what puts DC Root in a class of his own.
The album was mixed by American producer Rob Feaster, who has worked with No Doubt, Johnny Cash and George Harrison to name but a few. Feaster has emphasized the natural live sound of the band, eschewing studio ornamentation and giving the songs a basic, “balls-out” quality. His brief from the band: “no pisstake.”
The album is the second from the band in their two-year career, which has seen them grow from the subject of initial curiosity (surrounding DC Root’s “alleged” past) into a consistent live attraction with a knack for eliciting superlatives from reviewers. Whatever DC “was”, his new project - in industry speak - “has legs”.
Despite their trademark cowboy hats, ROOT! have been morphing into a muscular rock band for some time, and now attract a strong following across all the major cities, based on their powerful live reputation and the riveting poetry of DC Root. Surface Paradise finally describes where they are right now.
Welcome to Surface Paradise… It’s the smartest dumb rock ‘n roll album you’ll hear this year.
