Music Review: Grand Champeen — Dial “T” for This

When I first played Grand Champeen’s Dial “T” for This, I wasn’t sure of how I felt about the album. Instead of sounding like the simple rock album that I was expecting, it swaggered around and let off little sparks of soul, jazz, and unbridled musicianship. In short, it challenged me.

Cool, huh?

From the frantic rush and soothing calm of “What it Beats,” the album sets about to immediately defy easy categorization. In fact, it seems almost desperate to just be and not be labeled. That’s no shabby accomplishment in a song that only lasts 51 seconds, I’ll have you know.

Luckily, the rest of the album lives up to the promise of the opening track. From the rollicking rhythm of “Different Sort of Story,” the murky guitar hooks and vocals that fuel “Can I See You Again?,” the downright peppy and upbeat defeatism of “Gonna Be The Death Of Me,” the southern jam-rock flavor of “Rottweiler Hair,” down to the plaintive melodies of the closing track, “Olivia,” Grand Champeen manage to craft a rare thing in this day and age — an album.

Each song, though capable of standing on its own, fits together with the other songs and manages to come up with a sum that is far greater than its parts. Though I’d never heard of Grand Champeen before getting the chance to listen to Dial “T” for This, I can honestly tell you that I’m looking forward to hearing more of them in the future.

Slated for release on March 13, Dial “T’ for This is an excellent album to add to your collection.