Dropkick “Abelay Hotel” (Sound Asleep Records, 2009).

If it ain’t broke……

On a roll with this, their ninth album (and second on Sweden’s Sound Asleep label) the Taylor Brothers continue their dogged pursuit of power pop heaven and at times they come tantalisingly close to achieving it.

The album kicks off with a powerful riff on 'Choose' that piledrives along and throughout the album there is a more muscular feel with some fiery guitar and a very confident rhythm section. A case in point is 'Don’t Know Where it Ends' which has a firm grasp of dynamics and ends with the band spiralling into the cosmos. On 'Watch' they ditch the sunny side of West Coast pop rock to visit Neil Young’s ditch by the side of the road with chunky chords and a fat guitar break. Floating over this bedrock however there are the vocals, which remain harmonic, sweet and elegiac. Whether they are ploughing a new path with their heavier sound or sticking to their tried and true powerpop/country template the combined vocals are assured and have improved over the years.

Of the 13 songs here there is not one clunker and highlights occur throughout. The opening of 'Rain Down' is tremendous and 'Bad Dream' rocks heavily. There are a brace of tunes which are more laid back and acoustic. These are less assured with the vocals more exposed and vulnerable on 'Back of a Postcard' and 'Picking it Apart' but with sympathetic picking and playing, touches of pedal steel and banjo, they have a tendency to grow on one. 'Picking it Apart' in particular benefits from some fine playing. This is followed by 'In Tune' which combines all that they are best at with some fine harmonies and a great tune.

Overall this is a fine addition to the Dropkick canon. There is a bit more punch here, but in the long run it is more of what they do so well.

Date review added:  Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Reviewer:  Paul Kerr
Reviewers Rating:
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