BY CHRIS GUNNELLS
The full-length debut album from TheDistrict Attorneys is Athens, GA bringing out its finest. Initially I wondered exactly what “slowburner” meant so I decided to look in the Urban Dictionary. A rough definition of “slowburner” is something that takes a little time to realize how amazing that something really is. I do not know if that is the definition The District Attorneys had in mind while making this album but it describes it very well.
“Slowburner” is a jam-packed debut album that never has a lull and promises to bring more with each passing song. This is a band that has characteristics of both classic and modern rock music and they show how to combine the two. The title track “Slowburner,” also the opener, lets you go right into the kitchen to see what The District Attorneys are about to bring to the table. A Lindsey Buckingham-esque guitar style and influence from another Athens band, The Whigs, is what the title track offers.
The album rolls right through the massive and fun sound of “Madison Row” into the first single off the album titled “Confusion of Trust.” “Confusion of Trust” has that classic Peter Buck distortion at the beginning and then moves into a 60’s style sound that is perfect and the vocals convey the message of the song very well.
Next step is a change in pace for the album at “Worry About Your Health” which offers a heavy metal element and a fantastic bit of jamming at the end. The pace then slows to a mellow feel into a song, “Cherry Glow,” that gives the listener a feel that maybe Jim James himself dropped by to record a song, that is the Monsters of Folk, It Still Moves, and Z Jim James.
“California Fire” brings the sound of the first three tracks back and with a California shore sound that they capture fantastically. A strong organ sound opens the track “Here’s Your Star” and that gives way to guitar playing that sounds like Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes. “I Can’t Make the Distance, You’ll Have to Meet Me Halfway” contains a nicely done chorus with a southern rock guitar and a good, short break into the last chorus.
The last four songs on the album finish it off very strong, one could say, almost as strongly as the first three songs open the album. “The End” is layered as the song goes on and has an awesome jam starting at the 2:40 mark till the end. “Far Past the Point of Resolve” is placed perfectly between “The End” and “Boomtown” as it follows and sets up these killer songs. “Boomtown” is a classic rock track that showcases the band’s talents and adds a rockin’ horn section that makes the song what it is. Finally, the acoustic/folk track “Marmalade” that winds down the album. A beautiful harmonica throughout and the peaceful harmonies of the band members leave you feeling really good about this album.
The District Attorneys are the real deal and, yet, just another awesome Athens band with the great potential to make it big. They are influenced by so many different brands of music that it leads them to playing a different style on almost every song. This album is definitely worth 44:15 out of a person’s day. It is truly a “slowburner.”
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