California schizo rockers impress and frustrate

Concrete Dunes\nGrandaddy\nLakeshore Records\nPeople flock to California, whether in 1849 or in the '60s, in search of a dream and to burst the regimented daily life of the perceived established towns to the east. \nDestroyed miners, failed actors and musicians, Okies on relief, would find their ideas highly unoriginal. Forced to fall from the city lights, they collected in tiny concrete villages in the middle of the desert and near the railroad line. Quietly, they would eventually turn these landing pads into towns. \nModesto, Calif. is one of these towns, hometown of George Lucas and Grandaddy. Where Lucas escaped the town's doldrums through remarkable fantasy, the members of Grandaddy (in particular, figurehead Jason Lytle) escaped through skateboarding and music. Lytle was too sensitive for the punk rock that is associated with the skateboarding aesthetic though, he was more attracted to the quirkier and mellower sides of Neil Young. \nGrandaddy draws an awful lot from Neil Young, and although in recent years they have transcended his influence, Concrete Dunes shows the heart of his impact. Concrete Dunes is a repackaging of the band's earliest recordings that were previously scattered, hard to find, unavailable, etc. It is the sound of modern Modesto and any of the hundreds of towns like it, the sound of sons and daughters of compromised dreams in a town with nothing to do. \nGrandaddy doesn't sound lazy though, they sound like they're wondering what to do next. Concrete Dunes showcases a confused band at times too, unable to decide between the noisy indie rock their friends would like and the lo-fi ballads and electronic excursions that they\'ve become known for. Here you can hear the two battling it out with mixed results from both ends.\nFull of displaced energy and their surroundings, little stories of their townsfolk are unfolded from snippets of lyrics. "Daddy doctor's son punk rocker shouts/'Dad the A.C.'s broke in our hardcore/Punk rock vacation, vacation rehearsal house'/'We'll get right on, that, I'm sure it's just the thermostat/I'll buy your band a few twelve packs/But your mother wants her bracelets back.'" Contrary to what you've heard, there are uninteresting people in this world, and it doesn't matter if you're in Modesto, Calif. or Bloomington, Ind.\n

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