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Avg: 3.5 (36 ratings)
- Date Released: February 3, 2009
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Commercial Alternative
- Label: Narnack Records / The Orchard
"Buddy" belongs in everyone's collection
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We Say...
Iran began in 2000 with a self-titled collection of song fragments and little melodic collages reminiscent of Lou Barlow's most scattered and opaque work. It was also very, very good — a nice throwback to the unfinished releases of the early '90s before everyone got pro. The work of pretty much one dude, Aaron Aites, Iran thrilled; the same could not be said of its 2003 successor, The Moon Boys, an okay collection that kept the hiss but misplaced the pop. And so all that brings us to Dissolver, Iran's third album, on which passing judgment will prove difficult to longtime Iran-ians: it's a very normal record with normal, charming songs. Say what?
Most of the hype for this record has focused on the involvement of Kyp Malone (guitarist in TV on the Radio), and there are some TVOTR moments (start with "Airport '79"), but not a ton. Most of Dissolver is pretty straight-ahead indie pop — Aites almost always sings with some slight distortion on his voice, and his songs are closest to Sebadoh and stuff of that ilk. He also has the talent to exceed all expectations and just bang out incredible songs — which he does on "Buddy," the best song here by a longshot. "Buddy" has a slight doo-wop/'60s R&B feel — structurally, it's very much a throwback — but then, just as prominently, a tweaked-out guitar screech and then his admission: "I'm such a dick sometimes/ I haven't paid for my crimes."
For all the makeover reservations, normalizing the Iran sound was an obvious move for Aites to make, and he pulls it off well enough here. "Buddy" is definitely worth a download; the rest will come down to how you hear things. -
They Say...
Nearly six years passed between Aaron Aites' second noise pop opus as Iran, The Moon Boys, and Dissolver, during which time guitarist Kyp Malone became a member of one of the most acclaimed bands of the 2000s, TV on the Radio. Maybe that's why Dissolver strips away most of the confrontational side of Iran's music in favor of the pop that was underneath the noise all along (it's almost certainly why Malone's TVOTR bandmate David Sitek produced this album). Iran fans who were more attached to the surface chaos of the band's first two albums might be initially disappointed by how this album seems to lack that bite -- only "Digital Clock and Phone"'s electronics and guitar freakout hint at Iran's noise-laden past. And at times, it does feel like Iran is adjusting to their new direction: "Airport '79" and "Baby Let's Get High One Last Time Together" meander a little more than they should, though they reflect the more classic rock-inspired direction of Dissolver's songwriting and arrangements. However, the album has more than its fair share of moments that rank with Iran's previous heights, albeit with a more straightforward sound: "Buddy" is shambling and bittersweet, "I Already Know You're Wrong" moves from jangly verses to soulful choruses with surprising ease, and "Can I Feel What?" is a lush, emotional epic. That these songs sound more than a little like TV on the Radio might please some and disappoint others, but the cranky, cryptic "Where I'm Going" and "Cape Canaveral/Buddy (Reprise)," which switches from acoustic rambling to an arena-rock reworking of "Buddy" complete with cheering fans, show that Iran's strangeness is still intact. The album ends with its most irresistible song, "Evil Summer." A mix of veiled threats and bounding guitars, it proves that Dissolver isn't the sound of Iran turning its back on its past, it's the sound of a band finding ways to be more complicated, and accessible, than ever.
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| 01. |  |
I Can See the Future |
2:33 |
|
| 02. | |
Buddy |
3:19 |
|
| 03. | |
I Already Know You're Wrong |
3:21 |
|
| 04. | |
Airport '79 |
7:02 |
|
| 05. | |
Baby, Let's Get High One Last Time |
5:10 |
|
| 06. | |
Digital Clock and Phone |
4:04 |
|
| 07. | |
Where I'm Going |
5:14 |
|
| 08. | |
Cape Canaveral / Buddy (reprise) |
2:52 |
|
| 09. | |
Can I Feel What? |
6:04 |
|
| 10. | |
Evil Summer |
4:06 |
|
10 Total Tracks, 43:45 Total Length
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