Release Date: October 25, 2011
For a band familiar with covers and proud of its rendition of time-honored rock ‘n’ roll, returning to its hometown of Providence, R.I., to record its aptly titled fourth full-length (Divine Providence) seems like a perfect fit: a group that honors the past of rock would, naturally, honor its own past.
Since forming in 2004, guitarist/lead vocalist John McCauley’s Deer Tick has undergone extensive forming and reforming, but the band members are currently—and perhaps once and for all—McCauley, Ian O’Neil (ex-Titus Andronicus guitarist), Chris Ryan (bass and vocals), Rob Crowell (keyboard, saxophone and vocals) and Dennis Ryan (drums and vocals).
Changing the members of the band doesn’t seem to lead to Deer Tick maintaining distinction album to album, however. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Sonically, Deer Tick seemed to stake its claim with its debut War Elephant in 2007 without much intent of seeking new ground.
Through the first half of Divine Providence, Deer Tick plays to the sensibilities of a ragtag bunch of rowdy drunks (i.e. themselves) in a crowded barroom looking for music they could stomp and shout along to. By the end of the album, the mood changes and the album would have the same belligerent bunch sitting with slumped shoulders, looking quietly and introspectively into their beers.
The first three tracks on the album, “The Bump,” “Funny Word” and “Let’s All Go to the Bar,” strike a rockabilly chord that does less to make the group seem like a Skoal-spitting bunch of sleeveless rockers and instead like an indie-punk band trying to channel a raucous, alt-country vibe, which still doesn’t quite encapsulate Deer Tick.
Tracks such as “Clownin’ Around,” the strongest track of the album, and “Chevy Express” quickly derail this attempt at a short description of the group, which isn’t saying the band has an overly unique sound. They stay far within the boundaries of rock ‘n’ roll, but they do like to hit several of its sub-genres throughout this album: alt-country, indie rock, rockabilly, indie folk and garage rock.
In “Clownin’ Around,” the album changes gears for the first time. More noticeably, the vocal responsibilities change, but more importantly, so does the band’s tone. Deer Tick leaves behind the beer-soaked thudding and grit and gives way to an eerie, emptying song—it might even be about John Wayne Gacy—exemplifying the band’s (albeit limited) range.
The album is somewhat front-loaded with feel-good rock and leaves on a note of melancholy, but that’s not necessarily to the detriment of the album. The mix of tracks gives the album some balance. However, the dispositions are so far opposite each other expressively that the transition into these songs feels somewhat abrupt. As far as ingenuity or musical invention, this album lacks it completely. For Deer Tick fans, however, that’s probably a good thing.
Deer Tick – Divine Providence tracklist:
- “The Bump”
- “Funny Word”
- “Let’s All Go to the Bar”
- “Clownin’ Around”
- “Main Street”
- “Chevy Express”
- “Something to Brag About”
- “Walkin’ Out the Door”
- “Make Believe”
- “Now It’s Your Turn”
- “Electric”
- “Miss K.”
