John Dwyer isn't known for writing timeless rock songs, which makes Help that much more of an enigma.
By Chad RadfordThursday June 18, 2009 01:00 PM EDT
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San Francisco guitarist/auteur John Dwyer (Pink & Brown, Coachwhips) isn't known for writing timeless rock songs, which makes Help that much more of an enigma. &-;Enemy Destruct" opens the album by summoning the demons of West Coast psychedelia circa '68, then swan-dives into scorched ether, harmony and distortion. &-;Ruby Go Home" chugs along like a freight train of infectious hooks and mind-altering dissonance, and &-;Destroyed Fortress Reappears" is an absolute monster of hazy rhythm and reverb. The tussle of weird noises, harmony and discordance that smashes together, crowding the undeniably catchy songwriting at the center of it all gives the album strength. With every riff, howl and slur of the tape machine, Help feels like it could fall apart at any moment. But it keeps rolling forward and the tension is almost too much to bear. (In the Red) 5 stars out of 5
