Great
American Bubble Factory
Vintage Earth Music
By Scott Roberts
Revered veteran
suffered from a split personality disorder. Their songs run the gamut from
loud, anthemic arena rock to hushed, contemplative, country-tinged, front-porch
sing-alongs. On their first CD in 12 years, Great
American Bubble Factory, DNC are, happily, still flaunting their musical
schizophrenia and have put together a collection of staunchly American songs
that stand boldly and proudly with their best work.
“She was built
like a Cadillac” are the first words sung by DNC leader Kevn Kinney on the
opening track, the Stooges-inspired rocker “Detroit City,” a song that
practically dares the listener not to bob his head and turn it up (or “turn it
off” to quote one of Mr. Kinney’s earlier compositions) and sets the lyrical
groundwork for the American landscape painted by the band on the next 11 tracks.
Nearly every song on the album mentions the word “America” in one way or
another, and takes the listener on a virtual tour across the country with stops
in the South (“I See Georgia,”a Stonesy rocker that name-checks the late Deacon
Lunchbox, and whose guitar riff pays sly homage to perhaps DNC’s best known
song, “Honeysuckle Blue”) and through the Midwest (the afore-mentioned “Detroit
City” and the beautiful and moving “Midwestern Blues,” a song destined to be a
fan favorite). And though the songs have a thematic coherence, musically
speaking they are as diverse as you would expect a DNC album to be.
Flawlessly produced by Anton Fier (former
Feelies drummer, Golden Palominos organizer, and producer of DNC’s arguably heretofore
strongest album Whisper Tames The Lion)
who manages to get just the right feel for each song, whether it’s the
fist-pumping, arena-friendly Dictators cover “I Stand Tall” or the tongue-twisting,
infectious, flat-out pretty “Don’t You Know That I Know That You Know,” which features
some nimble mandolin playing from Tim Nielsen, the only other original DNC
member besides Kinney in the current lineup which now includes guitarist Mac
Carter and drummer Dave V. Johnson.
The fact that the demos for Great American Bubble Factory were
started on September 10, 2001, then understandably indefinitely shelved due to
the events of the following day lend a poignant backdrop to the songs and make
this CD an even more special gift to DNC’s fans. God bless America AND Drivin’
N’ Cryin’!
