Underground Sound: Dredg

By Sean Houlihan
Collegian Reporter
April 26, 2006

This Week’s Band: Dredg
Featured Album: Catch Without Arms

Who knew a band with such an ugly name could produce such unique and beautifully-sounding music? Dredg aims to be more than just your ordinary alternative rock band with their third CD, Catch Without Arms.

Catch Without Arms, like the band’s previous releases, is a concept album. This time, Dredg focuses on opposites, particularly the conflict between black and white. Although the idea is nothing original, the sound of the album more than turns heads. Dredg is able to combine synthesizers, heavy guitars and solid drums into some of the heaviest, yet melodic and dance-inducing music one might ever hear.

Catch Without Arms has moments of heavy rock glory as in songs such as “The Tanbark is Hot Lava” or “Hung Over on a Tuesday,” but can still get your toes tapping with the poppier sounding “Zebraskin” or “Jamais Vu.” Oh yeah, they have crazy titles for their songs, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Vocally, Dredg is second to none. Gavin Hayes, the lead singer, has the ability to transition his voice, in almost every song, from a low whisper to the true angst-filled rock yell we all want out of a frontman.

Still, though, some may criticize Dredg for abandoning their instrumental roots for a more “radio-friendly” sound. This, however, is not true. Dredg is still one of the most instrumentally knowledgeable bands around. Their sound is similar to a blending of Incubus, Radiohead, the Deftones and the more recent outings of Further Seems Forever. That is what makes Dredg such an interesting band, they are almost impossible to characterize.

Catch Without Arms continues Dredg’s legacy of songs containing deep, life-changing lyrics that often require more thought than one might give to them. For example, “Look at what I have found — A seashell in a sea of shells” (from the song “Planting Seeds”) or “Your head was in the clouds, now those clouds are in your head” (from the song “Matroshka (The Ornament)”).

So we’re left with a band that doesn’t fit into any category, writes concept albums with hard-to-understand lyrics, and has been featured on a soundtrack to a sub-par movie (Stealth). Please, don’t let this turn you away from a band that is like no other. Dredg is a band that needs to be heard to be appreciated.

houlihans1@lasalle.edu