Band of the Week: Dead Confederate

I'm completely regretting my decisions of last night. I was supposed to go to Mercury Lounge to check out a band called Dead Confederate, but instead I worked a little late and decided to call it an early night by going home and getting some sleep. After a restless night of not really getting much sleep I now know that I could have seen an excellent band and gotten about the same amount of shut eye. Hindsight's a bitch. Anyway, despite not seeing the band last night I have decided to name them my band of the week anyway because I have been rocking out hard since I got their debut EP about a week ago.

The self-titled EP reminds me a lot of the music that was being pumped into our heads back in the early 90's known as grunge. It has that dark, depressed feel to it and it shreds, with a focus on large guitar riffs and furiously pounded rhythms. Of course that nostalgic feeling his hindered a bit by the addition of some serious Southern licks. But if you put the two elements together you are getting a sound that could easily breakthrough in 2008.

Hailing from Atlanta, the band keeps getting lumped in with bands like Deerhunter and Black Lips. I don't hear that connection at all though as both of those bands have completely different sounds from each other as well as from Dead Confederate. I've also been reading comparisons to Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket, and while that is much closer to the nail it still misses the mark. This band is less twang, more aggressive, and really, really dark.

I'm sure 2008 is going to bring more from Dead Confederate and the band still has a couple of local dates to round out this year. If you're in their area I'd suggest not trying to make it an early night on nights when they are playing, it just seems like a good idea at this point.
Dead Confederate - "Get Out"
Dead Confederate - "The Rat" (Live on KEXP)
Dead Confederate - "Shadow the Walls"
Download it at Amazon
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Thursday's Links:
- Ear Farm has a chat with Goes Cube as well as a premiere of their new song "Song 48"!
- WOXY's Futurist Blog is giving away that cool Brit Box set that comes in a phone booth!!!
- Gothamist interviews Die Romantik!
- Dovecote is offering up a digital EP of tunes as a Christmas present to its fans. (via CMJ)
- Professor Murder is releasing a free EP via RCRD LBL, one track at a time! (also via CMJ)
- Pitchfork has White Williams over for its guest list feature.
- Bradford has posted two new songs as Atlas Sound the last two days.
- Covert Curiousity has the inside scoop on the new Hot Chip album.
- Nonesuch is streaming two of the new Johnny Greenwood tracks from the new Paul Thomas Anderson film There Will Be Blood. (via GvB)