New Heavy

Album review

Dub Trio has been promising a disc heavier on punk metal since its 2004 debut, and New Heavy delivers. Where that leaves them in the mind of dub kingpin Lee "Scratch" Perry and his Jamaican disciples is anybody's guess, but if these 11 lengthy tracks demonstrate anything, it's that the band doesn't mind ditching its barely formed image in favor of letting a less circumscribed one rip. Rock outweighs reggae on every song: the fun house fury of "Illegal Dub" gives way to the dark and satisfying Mike Patton-vocal on "Not Alone," and the genre stew that is "Table Rock Dub" readies the listener, who by then has doubtlessly figured out that the key to enjoying this disc is to roll with it, for the excellent punk onslaught that is "One Man Tag Crew." That New Heavy is a mash barely matters. Dub Trio are musicians' musicians -- they've each proved it individually with their session work -- and twice now they've turned in discs that say as much about their need to breathe creatively as to crank out cool music. Which is the way it should be. Does anybody want to hear straight-up Jamaican dub from a threesome that's edgy enough to infiltrate G-Unit and No Doubt?
© Tammy La Gorce /TiVo