If you remember the movie “DIG” (2004) – it chronicled the rise and fall of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. In the group, there was a dude with the muttonchops who used to do nothing but play tambourine and make the rest of the band look hip. His name was Joel Gion. Well, he’s got his own band now called The Dilettantes, often referred to as a “California psyche-pop ‘n’ roll” band. After a few listens I have to give props to the great riffs by guitarist Jefferson Parker and he makes Joel look great. Like the BJM, “101 Tamborines” have a distinct sound that merges the best Byrdian, Stonesian sixties ethos with today’s neo-psyche indie vibrations. Every song here has a memorable guitar riff, like “Brightly Lit New Dark Ages” and the energetic opener “Ready To Go.” It took me a while to get used to Joel’s vocals which bring to mind the bastard child of Lou Reed and Bob Dylan. Some songs it works great, like “Don’t You Ever Fall” but on other songs like “Everlasting Low” it’s downright grating. Sometimes songs fall into a very trippy groove, like “Marzipan” but are missing the hooks. Other tracks, like “Kiss and Run” are positively smokin’. Overall the album is refreshingly upbeat and better than more recent BJM efforts. It’s worth checking out.
Listen to “Ready to Go”