Dumb Numbers is like an old-school college radio junkie’s wet dream. Essentially a decade in the making, the project (helmed by Aussie musician Adam Harding) brings together Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion), Dale Crover (Melvins), Murph (Dinosaur Jr.), Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), and C.R. Matheny (Emperor X) for one hell of an impressive debut LP.
Droned out, feedback-laden guitars open the record (naturally), after which the sludge onslaught commences in earnest. It’s as if the honest, raw quality of Bleach-era Nirvana was infused with My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze sensibilities. Along the way, you’ll hear massive amounts of each band member’s respective sound – there’s a healthy smattering of Dinosaur, Jr., Melvins and Sebadoh, to be sure.
The LP’s most accessible track, “Strange Beauty,” sounds much like its title suggests; it’s a bizarrely hypnotic balancing act of lo-fi-chillgaze and watery Mudhoney riffage. If you long for the days of early-’90s Sub Pop, this just might be your bag. Side Two also features the hauntingly Elliott Smith-esque “The Broken Promise,” and closes with an ambient piano and string outro, befitting of the record’s experimental quality and textures. Highly recommended.
Dumb Numbers
Dumb Numbers
Australia & The United States
(Joyful Noise Recordings)
Produced by Adam Harding
Mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic, Los Angeles
Design by David Yow
Size: 12-inch
Speed: 33 1/3 rpm
Color: Black Vinyl
www.dumbnumbers.com
