Dredg - Catch Without Arms

If you wonder too long about where to place a band like Dredg, you’ll miss where they’re going. The band slips between the cracks of whatever rock classifications you try to stuff them into. Likewise, the Bay Area is just a mailing address; Dredg isn’t evocative of any particular place or scene. So what do we make of a band that makes music that’s heavy, pretty, experimental and tuneful – sometimes all in the same song? You can be frustrated that Dredg rejects the idea that the goal of music is to be easily described a couple of buzz words. Or with attentive ears and an open mind, you can enjoy the hell out of ‘Catch Without Arms.’ Album Description

"Scrumtrelescent"-James Lipton

Amazing, simply. Ode to the Sun, Bug Eyes, etc, every song makes ya feel like a million bucks. My favorite band has produced an amazing album here. February 25, 2008

Gets under your skin and stays there...

I first discovered dredg while sampling music at Barnes & Noble in the late summer of 2005. After listening to samples of Incubus, Linkin Park, and Muse, I clicked "similiar artists" and dredg came up. I liked their sort've alt-prog sound and tagged them as a band to watch for. A couple weeks later, I came across a used (still sealed) copy of Catch Without Arms at an L.A. record store for only $3.99 and snatched it up.

For whatever reason, the CD sat on my desk, unopened for nearly two months. In late October, I suddenly had the urge to rip open the plastic and give a listen, hungry for some new music. I immediately liked it, although a lot of the songs sounded a little samey to me. As other reviewers have mentioned, "Bug Eyes" stood out from the rest. I played the album intermittedly over the next few weeks, "Bug Eyes" at least making it onto my perennial "Best of the Year" self-made compilation CD-R.

Fast forward four more months, and one of my co-workers mentions dredg. "You've also heard of them?," I asked. I thought maybe I was the only one. I then borrow from him CD-Rs of El Cielo and Leitmotif, amazed that these albums were even more classicly "progressive." Being a big fan of prog (especially bands such as Yes and Rush), I was taken by surprise by the band's unabashed use of long, droning soundscapes, odd effects, and conceptual, story-like pieces that formed complete, album-length "songs." I had a new viewpoint on dredg, and this required I give them more attention.

Over the course of a few weeks, I was well and truly hooked, and they became one of my favorite groups. Catch Without Arms was the release I felt most at home with, being a fan of more melodic, catchy, short pieces of music. I've never had any problem with an obvious artistic, progressive band sounding slightly more mainstream. That is how fans are typically garnered. Song by song, the album grew on me.

With this CD, dredg has created a near-masterpiece. Although each song has the ability to stand on its own, the album still has that seamless, flowing quality that fans of El Cielo will be familiar with. Odd snippets of dialogue, laughter, and children's singing will bridge one song with the next. The album does have a concept, although it is a bit more loose and subtle than on their previous two records; it deals with communication, opposing viewpoints, and symbiosis. Upon closer inspection to the lyrics, one will see references between songs. First single "Bug Eyes" has the lyric "Spit at eachother from a distance", while "Spitshine" has another side to these words. Powerful album-opener "Ode To The Sun" makes metaphorical and literal references to the sun, while the song "Planting Seeds" talks about nurturing and wanting something to grow, an obvious link between the two pieces. "Zebraskin" would be the perfect soundtrack to someone on a tropical island, walking in the hot sun after having too much to drink, while "Hungover On A Tuesday" seems to be the match-up here. At other times only the music will provide a link; the opening strains of "Ode To The Sun" later appear in a rearranged, backwards form in "Jamais Vu."

Musically, Catch Without Arms is without error. Mark's guitars wail, moan, and cry one minute, and stand back with reflective walls of sound the next. The bass guitar (courtesy of Drew Roulette) will pound you over the head on one song, and be a subtle, groove-like undercurrent for another. Dino's drumming isn't mixed quite as well as it was on El Cielo, but it fits this particular album nicely, his piano and keyboard sections also standing out. Gavin Hayes' vocals really shine here, soaring with emotion and beauty, and beautiful restraint and subtlety when required.

I can't recommend this band, and this album, anymore than I can. What began as an innocent musical curiosity with few plays became my most-played CD of 2006, listened to literally hundreds of times; sometimes more than twice daily. The only reason I give it four stars is because a couple of songs aren't quite as engaging as others, but this is purely subjective, and in no way reflects a lack of creativity or overall satisfaction.

Dredg should be going far. I get this sense that they're just on the razor's edge of mainstream success. Catch Without Arms might just be that one last fans-only, cult classic release.

A-

Key tracks : Bug Eyes, Sang Real, The Tanbark Is Hot Lava, Jamais Vu, Planting Seeds September 4, 2007

A step up and to the right

This is a great album but it's not quite the Dredg I've grown to love. There isn't a single jam on this album, which is unfortunate. Every track is just a straight forward song like every other radio band. Yes, they've also seemed to head more the the lime light with a more radio friendly format. If you listen to this album in it's entirety though, you will hear Gavin singing about why this is so. That all aside...this is a great album. My only let down was the complete lack of musical jams. Every song is Dredg and at there best. They are memorable songs with great riffs, great bass lines and great drums. If you enjoyed the last two albums you'll enjoy this one for sure. (maybe just not quite as much at first) December 4, 2006

WHAT is this?

This is definitely the most enigmatic album I've heard in a very long time, and after giving it to a friend with similar tastes, I'm blessed in knowing that I'm not alone in the opinion. What do I mean when I apply such a vague and not often used description such as enigmatic? This is what I mean: I don't understand why I like 'Catch Without Arms' so much, but by God in the Heavens above, I do. So much.

When I first gave this to my friend, this was his response: "Bug Eyes" is awesome; the rest of the album sucks. While my personal, initial reaction wasn't filled with such scorn, the sentiments echoed were similiar between the two of us; "Bug Eyes" blew me away, but the rest of the album I just "didn't know". I was guided to Dredg by a friend (online, no less) who was an avid, no... freakish Muse fan, and if I remember correctly he stated Dredg was the second favorite on his list, claiming that one who enjoyed the theatrics of Muse would by default fancy Dredg. We then got on to discussing productions, and how I was a sucker for the tight, polished type, and thus he recommended 'Catch Without Arms', the latest Dredg album; as the case often proves, at least in my own listening experiences, a band's newest release is usually their most refined. That I like.

So why is 'Catch Without Arms' so strange? Why did both my friend and I initially feel but zilch for the album, yet [un]willingly persist in listening to it faithfully, eventually bearing a slant that leant towards uncommon praise? Here's my take. This album is filled with ballads. Unlike "Bug Eyes" -- track two; the album's single; 'Catch...' doesn't rock. Tempo's pretty slow, in fact. Consistently. The overall sensibility of the album is pretty overblown and, in the case of both of us twats, devoid of any meaningful emotional response. Perhaps more critically, though, I simply cannot think of one album I've heard within the past few years that is content with so many simple ditties. Then there's the comparison to Muse. Don't really understand that, but what does that matter. Point is, the album is -- different -- distinct --; naturally, different can lay way to uncomfortable reactions, at least 'till one absorbs it repeatedly and becomes familiar with its peculiar aura. We both experienced this.

But when we ended up listening to it on end, we both fell in love, or, perhaps more truthfully, a bizzare kind of lust. We still didn't quite get 'why' we liked it so much, despite our observations that it was well produced, and to this day, that stance exists to a good degree. This just isn't my type of music, really; I've given it a chance, and I was rewarded with treasures, but I still can't state exactly why I hold it in high esteem. I'll try, though.

Dredg, at least on this album, has a great skill at creating a very 'full' sound, with layers of unique, almost ambient like soundscapes that back the band's traditional instrumentation. To me, this is at least an obvious element I generally cling to; I love unique walls of sound, and when they're got a fervid melody to boot, I succumb to their power. A lot of the songs on 'Catch...' apply this technique and, basically, it works. "Bug Eyes" might be the finest example of such, but other songs stand close behind -- notably, "Planting Seeds", which is probably the most affecting piece on the album, with gooey but tender lyrics and a compelling amour; "Jamais Vu" and "Spitshine" also shares the musical mentality. Even when their isn't an overt cognizance of the particular approach, the band still manages to create that sense of fullness, albiet more subtlely, that is so pleasant and enveloping.

There are songs that rock. So I lied. Not a great deal, but some, and they, well... they rock, at least mildly. Both "Hungover on a Tuesday" and "The Tankbark is Hot Lava", for example... and... umm... that's it. But, hey, they are quick and cool, and, at minimum, relieve us from the relentless number of ballads.

That's it. I won't dare go back and read what I just penned, but I'm pretty confident I didn't list a convincing amount of reasons why I like 'Catch Without Arms'. But in this case, who cares? I'm always excited to observe and articulate why I find joy in something, but I fail here. Yet, such a loss in expressing 'Catch Without Arms'' appeal poses a problem not, for I still reap the many benefits it oh-so generously offers. October 25, 2006

A long way from "El Cielo"

"Catch Without Arms" is very well written, crafted, and produced, minus all the B.S. tracks (like the Brushstrokes on "El Cielo"). This album is without a doubt the best music that Dredg has created to date. I've read some other reviews for this album and see that some idiots have totally slammed it because they heard it could be compared to Tool or Mars Volta. Let me make it clear that this album separates Dredg from all other bands. I thought they had a very Incubus-type sound on "Leitmotif", but this third release has given them a sound of all their own. Anyone who doesn't love this CD is smiply not a fan of good music. Bottom line. August 20, 2006

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