Dredg - El Cielo (2002) [SACD]

El Cielo is the second album from the American progressive/alternative rock rock band, dredg. It was released on October 8, 2002 on Interscope Records. Like dredg's first album, Leitmotif, El Cielo is a concept album. The title can be translated to mean "the sky" or "the heaven" in Spanish, and to mean "peace and freedom of expression" in dreams.

Dredg is one of those rare bands who truly cannot be categorized. Gavin Hayes' vocals cascade like a waterfall over a sea of scratching Latin rhythms, dulcimers, guitars in odd time signatures, and prog rock-inspired drums. Hayes shares his penchant for Bulgarian chants in "Triangle" and "Same Ol' Road." "Whoa Is Me" could provide the soundtrack to all things haunted. Whether it's a piano and strings or Cure-influenced (specifically the Cure's "Fascination Street") guitars, instruments fill the time between songs on El Cielo. They offer a respite from the monotony and the slow-fast-slow style of songwriting. In an odd moment at the end of "Whoa Is Me," a soft-spoken public radio DJ speaks of a jazz number from 1944. The full-throttle rocker "It Only Took a Day" is one of the highlights.


Tracks:

01. Brushstroke: Dcbtfoabaaposba
02. Same Ol' Road
03. Sanzen
04. Brushstroke - New Heart Shadow
05. Triangle
06. Sorry But It's Over
07. Convalescent
08. Brushstroke: Walk In The Park
09. Eighteen People Live In Harmony
10. Scissor Lock
11. Brushstroke (Reprise)
12. Of The Room
13. Brushstroke: An Elephant In The Delta Waves
14. It Only Took A Day
15. Whoa Is Me
16. The Canyon Behind Her

Personnel:

Gavin Hayes - vocals, guitar
Mark Engles - guitar
Drew Roulette - bass
Dino Campanella - drums