Grand Champeen
Dial T for This
In Music We Trust
Grand Champeen want everyone to know one thing about their latest record Dial T for This: everything was recorded live. Every instrument was played live, every string, horn, guitar, vocal that is heard on this record was not digitally enhanced or altered. So does that make for a better record? Sort of.
“Gonna Be the Death of Me” is a nice fast-paced lounge rocker with a decent horn outro. Confused? Think a fast-paced Death Cab for Cutie played on the Love Boat back in the ’70s. Still confused? Then I’m sorry.
“Wounded Eye” sounds like it was taken straight off of a Goo Goo Dolls record. Lead singer Channing Lewis sounds almost exactly like Robby Takac –not Johnny Reznick, the main front man for the Goo Goo Dolls. Also interesting to point out, the Goos have a song called “Lazy Eye.” Coincidence? Probably.
Grand Champeen are an ambitious quartet. They obviously want everything to sound authentic, not altered or forged. You’ve got to admire the tenacity and attention to detail that must take. It’s a lot easier to just change it on a computer to make it sound good, but to actually do it could take dozens of takes and cause a whole lot of frustration.
Does that mean better music? On Dial T for This it translates to a more authentic, but not necessarily better disc. The music is fairly generic rock which teeters from pop-punk to surfer rock (mainly “Cities on the Plain”) to pop-rock. Grand Champeen have accomplished what they wanted in authenticity; now it’s time to focus on the music itself and figure out where they want to take it next. They are a band who have a mission and are headed in the right direction.
In Music We Trust: http://www.inmusicwetrust.com
