The Damnwells – One Last Century

Sometimes it’s amazing the music you can get for free. Artists like Derek Webb have released critically-acclaimed albums for absolutely nada and probably brought even more attention to their music than they would otherwise have done. To the average Joe it would sound like madness especially if the product is stellar. After all, musicians are entitled to reap the benefits of their hard labor, right? But maybe that’s part of the problem, and maybe that’s why astute musicians aren’t afraid to give their creations to the masses for nothing more than the enjoyment they hope their listeners will get from the tracks.

The Damnwells’ latest album, One Last Century, is available for free online and it’s not for lack of quality or depth that this sucker isn’t costing you even one penny because these songs have both characteristics in spades.

Musically, the album wanders through a number of Americana-tinged landscapes. From stirring orchestral numbers like “WWXII” to echoing strummers like “Soundtrack” this album dances gracefully from one sound, emotion and experience to another at a leisurely pace. The many players (the band’s website refers to themselves as a collective, which is appropriate given that 12 people can lay claim to playing some part in the band’s efforts) take you on a jangly, effortless, raw sojourn through life, love and relationships as they see them.

And while most of the album is introspective and quieter, one of the most luminous songs on the album is “Bastard of Midnight.” Sounding like it was meant to be played on the highway as you drive off into the sunset, this song gets a lot of mileage out of the phrase, “Oooooo, I miss you.” From a purely pop perspective, Alex and Angela Dezen’s vocals wrap around each other in a gorgeous way that is filled with longing, honesty and maybe even a little regret. The fact that the band channels a bit of Tom Petty and The Alternate Routes on this and other songs on the album (“55 Pictures” and “Everything”) doesn’t hurt either.

And with lyrics like the following, the band demonstrates they can write a good lovey-dovey Americana/Country ditty:

I don’t want to be a maybe
Baby let me drive you crazy
I want to be your dandelion

Don’t you go and leave me stranded
I’m empty, I’m not second-handed
But if you’ll give me a little time
I want to be your dandelion

There is much to like on this CD and there are many reasons to believe this album could have done well had it been released commercially. That being said, I think there is something more genuine about this album because it can be had for free. This collective went and put their hearts into something they knew people just had to hear, so they are literally giving everyone a chance to enjoy something for nothing. With this album, you definitely get a whole lot more than you paid for.

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1. The Damnwells

Tagged as: Brooklyn, pop/rock

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