Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - "It's A Corporate World"

Artist: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Record: It’s A Corporate World
Label: Quite Scientific Records
Release Date: June 7th, 2011
Review by: Sean Kayden

The duo behind the silly (yet possibly brilliant?) band name, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is Detroit natives, Daniel Zott and Josh Epstein. They joined forces sometime last year to release the much buzzed about EP, Horse Power. It was a four-song collection of psychedelic indie pop tunes that included the Beach Boys cover, “God Only Knows”. With their highly anticipated debut LP due out on June 7th, the twosome expands on their eclectic sound. Epstein and Zott both sing in other bands, The Silent Years and The Great Fiction, respectively and share vocal duties on It’s A Corporate World. The amalgamation of the two singers/songwriters were able to craft soft, airy, electronic produced rhythms with their new venture. It’s A Corporate World is a moderately solid debut, but an uneven one at that. There may be plenty here that will resonate with particular listeners. Some will find more to love than others. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. strives in specific tracks, there is no denying the magic these guys can bring. However, it’s when they depart from that signature sound that leaves us to some extent empty within.

Luckily, none of the tracks on It’s A Corporate World feel overblown in nature. Actually, only two tracks, “Nothing But Our Love” and “When I Open My Eyes” cross the four-minute mark. In retrospect, the 12-track record is relatively short-lived at 37 minutes and 25 seconds. The first half of the album starts off reasonably strong. Opener, “Morning Thought” provides us with glistening patterns, electrifying drumbeats and mellow vocal harmonies. One of the standout tracks, “Nothing But Our Love” (which made its first appearance on the Horse Power EP) showcases mellifluous vocal tones, dreamy arrangements and continues to float effortlessly through its entirety. The other treasure off the record is, “Skeletons” a darkly, stripped down song with stick clanging throughout that ends way too soon. It’s proceeded with “An Ugly Person On A Movie Screen” a dangerously catchy tune with its contagious “na, na, na, na” hook. So far, so good, right? The second half of the album, which includes “Vocal Chords” and “Simple Girl” from the Horse Power EP takes the album down a slightly different path. It’s not necessarily a forbidden road they head down, but one that raises caution and concern. This is especially true since the first half of the album is inventive, jaunty and often catchy.

Like I previously mentioned, this is a relatively respectable first effort. I would have expected a bit more given my deep appreciation for Epstein’s better pop indie band, The Silent Years. Adding electronics and synths to your soundscape is all the rage right now. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. uses them to their advantage most of the time. Some of the songs (toward the second half) start off fairly strong, but somehow manage to get stale and unrewarding by the time of completion. I like to think the band’s name is more than a gimmick. If they decide in the future to work on a follow-up album, I’ll still check it out with no hesitation. Growth and progress is inevitable, yet I hope Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. can figure out a way to become the band they’ve set out to be. It’s A Corporate World does feel special and unique sometimes, but those moments aren’t everlasting. Hell, those moments rarely last at all.

Key Tracks: “Morning Thought”, “Nothing But Our Love”, “Skeletons”, “An Ugly Person On A Movie Screen”
Grade: 6.8 out of 10

Published on June 4th, 2011 by Mountain Views News
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v05/htm/n23/p11.htm