(rock, post-hardcore, indie, oklahoma, alternative) Traindodge - Дискография (Discography, 9 releaes, splits w Gunfighter) - 1999-2011 - MP3, 128-320 kbps

«“Their second full-length, On A Lake Of Dead Trees is raw talent: no Pro-Tools, over-production scams, or other chicanery here.” - Digital Metal»

Dropsonic/Traindodge: Xerxes (EP)
Atlanta's Dropsonic and Oklahoma City's Traindodge come together for a split EP that highlights each band's musical depth and diversity and offers listeners a chance to hear the trios flex their musical muscles together. The EP opens with Dropsonic doing its best wearing and tearing on the aggro, amphetamine stomp "Waiting For The Axe," wherein vocalist/guitarist Dan Dixon, bassist Dave Chase and drummer Brian Hunter capture listeners in a maelstrom of heavy riffing and three-as-one alt hootenanny.
Especially impressive are Dixon's 21st Century blues lead break around the tune's two-minute mark and Chase's underrated melodic bass lines which serve to enhance Hunter's thunderous drum fills. As good as that track as, it's the moody, slow-burner "The Best Thing" that stands as the group's greatest contribution to this release. A tale of nearly unbearable heartbreak, the piece clocks in at just over six minutes but feels far shorter. Dixon's six-string work alternates between disquieting and soothing, his voice conveying a sad, beautiful bruised-ness that conveys more hurt and elicits more empathy from the listener than most rock tracks. And when he delivers the final line––sorry, no spoiler here––it is a perfectly irresolute conclusion as it eloquently belies––or nearly belies––the hurt heard in the rest of the song. Few vocalists in indie rock capture pain with the same accuracy as Dixon and it would be unfortunate for his gifts as a singer to remain underappreciated.
In short, "The Best Thing" is a real gem, a culmination of all things in Dropsonic's past, but a bold strike toward its future. It suggests the elusive American-ness that U2 so desperately sought circa Rattle and Hum, the marriage between open, airy modern European rock and the deep, simmering soul of the dirtiest depths of the Delta and the needle-littered back alleys of Hell's Kitchen.
Traindodge impresses once more with "Bag Of Vipers," which suggests there is a real and weighty progressive rock––or even metal––trio lurking deep in the heart of the Dodge, as brothers Jason and Rob Smith (guitars/vox and drums/keyboards, respectively) and Chris Allen (bass) suggest, via stomp and glory, what might have happened had Metallica continued its glorious ascent to the true pantheon of metal greatness after Master Of Puppets or, at the very least, managed to nail the indie aesthetic the quartet so clearly sought on its rightfully maligned St. Anger. On "Vipers," as on the fistful of rage piece "Stranded," Traindodge shows that it has deservedly earned a slot as one of the most respectable, intelligent and musically-minded units in Midwestern––hell, American––indie rock.
The record's final two tracks, "The Hour" and "Come Out, Come Out," feature collaborations between the outfits. "The Hour" weaves seamlessly many trademark Dodge-isms with the unmitigated audacity of the Droso rhythm section. Some may at first find that it more closely resembles a well-developed jam as opposed to a full-on song but it is far from filler and it, like "Come Out, Come Out," which features another impressive vocal turn from Dixon, proves an inspired and imaginative collaboration.

What is it with wolves in the rock and roll world? In addition to being used in the titles of many albums and songs, they are also very popular for band names: Wolf Eyes, Wolf Parade, Steppenwolf, Howlin’ Wolf, Guitar Wolf, Wolfmother, and even Peanut Butter Wolf. And now Traindodge, a math-rock trio from Norman, Oklahoma, gives us its fourth LP, Wolves. Not a name used to stand out from the crowd. These guys don’t do much musically to stand out from the crowd either.
The record label A&R folks would like us to believe that Traindodge’s members have connected their love for Talking Heads-style 80s pop with the prog-rock influences of King Crimson and Genesis. But if they did a half-way decent job of this, chances are at least one of those bands would be listed in the RIYL slot. While the members of Traindodge may hold the music of these influential bands in high regard, as a lot of us do, it doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to channel these influences into something stylistically similar yet uniquely fresh, and unfortunately this so-called math-rock ends up falling short of it’s goal.
If it is math-rock, it’s more like a second-grade math-rock, since instead of the more complex rhythms and intricately layered and technical instrumental work you’d expect, these tracks are more like fragmented rock segments piled on top of industry standard hard-rock beats. The combination of an antagonistically yelping singer and a lack of creative songwriting prevent these tunes from becoming anything other than relatively simple and boring experimental sound excursions. The basically one-dimensional rhythms are sped up and slowed down as various layers of synth washes and power guitars are added and subtracted along with the deep-pounding bass licks without any artistic transitions, choruses, or hooks of any kind.
The better moments on Wolves include the few occasions when the vocals and frantic segments are tempered a bit. The title track, along with “Clean” and “Rats on Wires,” see the band toning it down a bit and actually integrating some more open arrangements and smoother synth work. But even these tunes don’t flow well and feel directionless, so ultimately there are more minuses than pluses in the math-rock that Traindodge offers on Wolves.

«…the thing that I absolutely love about this band is that they maintain a certain familiarity and connection to their Midwestern rock roots that still manages to work its way into the music while continuing to add new and interesting elements. It all amounts to some of the finest moments that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing from the band… - Built on a Weak Spot
Traindodge have evolved their post punk grunge to a (gulp) more mature sound..and yet have not forgotten their gift for creating a heavy sound, dark lyrics and imagery, and emotionally charged messages. Fact is, they have presented one of the more consistent catalogs in todays rock. - StonerRock.com»