Oh Brother - Dawes (2024)

I fear I’m doomed to have the first Dawes record I heard, 2022’s Misadventures of Doomscroller, be forever my favorite. That’s no discredit to this one, though.

This is very organic. Dawes are basically either a very erudite jam band or a yacht rock band that covers Skynrd sometimes. This record was, according to the copy, “made in a room the size of a bathroom over the course of a couple weeks.” It shows in the close-in sonics and lack of full-tilt jams.

Just about every song I thought to comment on was that it sounded like somebody else, but that’s not because they’re copycats. They just integrate a wide range of rock history without batting an eye.

The songs are always well-written, with clever and heartfelt lyrics. This is a tragically under-recognized band.

Track I Liked

Mister Los Angeles - you know this guy

Front Row Seat - channels the ghost of Warren Zevon very effectively

Surprise! - sounds a bit like Pink Floyd’s Learning to Fly only without the massive Gilmour solo. Great lyric as always

The Game - honestly one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. Fantastic.