TonyDoug's CD Reviews

by tonydoug wright

The Debutantes, Late Night Shutdown (2004)

THE BAND:Bek Zaganjori (Vocals and Guitar), Shaun Dempsey (Drums and Guitar), Tim Lillis (Bass) and Alan Levin (Keyboards)

THE HISTORY: The Debutantes hail from Allston, MA and their beginnings date back to the fall of 2002.

THE REVIEW:Did you ever play sports as a kid? On every sports team there was the kid who was the best player and they made every play seem so effortless. Why you were struggling to make a basket they were making three pointers with their eyes closed and their good hand tied behind their back.

Late Night Shutdown by The Debutantes is an album that is smooth and effortless in its delivery. The sound is a pop influenced indie one that is highlighted by Bek Zaganiori’s soothing vocals. "You Taste So Useless And Worn Out" opens Late Night Shutdown on a good note by setting the pace for an album of ten tracks that are all soothing but somewhat repetitive in sound. The Debutantes deserve praise for their debut album and if you get the chance then download some of the songs from Late Night Shutdown such as ‘Standstill’ and ‘Secondhand’ available on their official website.

WEBSITE: www.thedebutantes.net

The Doxies, Weight of Gold (Emergency Umbrella, 2005)

THE BAND:Tim Lloyd, Bryan Maness, Kevin Siebenaler, Wesley Wingate and Brent Maness

THE HISTORY: The Doxies have been rocking the state of Missouri since 2001 and they have received “critical acclaim” for their two previous releases Tractor Crash (2002) and Tinderbox Tragedy (2003).

THE REVIEW:While looking over the cover art and booklet for The Doxies’ Weight of Gold album I realized that these guys are trying to corner the hippie pirate market. How did I come to this conclusion? The CD and case has artwork that displays a pirate ship, a portion of an old map and a metallic blue ocean design. Even the song titles have references to the seas like ‘Sixteen and the Sea’ and ‘Hurricane Eyes’. The insert shows a picture of the band and in my “judge a book by its cover” opinion I would have to say that these guys are more into Grateful Dead than Agent Orange or Black Flag. Maybe The Doxies tried to do a concept album about pirates or maybe these landlocked residents of the Show Me State yearn to sail the seven seas in search of endless booty.

Weight of Gold is a 70s-inspired album with a carefree vibe that begins with the opening track titled ‘Checking In And Checking Out’. But The Doxies pick up the pace on their upbeat third track titled ‘Kid Don’t Know’ which could arguably be the best song on the entire album. From there, Weight of Gold continues in its course where The Doxies send their hippie pirate rock n roll ships into waters where the mighty Canadian indie pirates named Sloan once sailed. But fear not my fellow sailor, The Doxies journey into the seas is not a terrible one but one that is for the most part enjoyable.

WEBSITE: www.thedoxies.com