Grand Champeen - Dial T for This

  by Geraint Jones

published: 27 / 8 / 2007

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Review

Fourth album in from the Austin, Texas-based Grand Champeen, ‘Dial T For This’ is the band’s first outing since 2003’s ‘The One That Brought You’. Fusing a range of influences, the core constituents of which could be boiled down to punk, power pop and a smidgeon of alt. country, the Replacements have often been cited as a touchstone. At their best Grand Champeen most definitely come up with the goods, marrying strong hooks to an enthusiastically energetic delivery – ‘Wounded Eye’, ‘Cities On The Plain’, Raul Vela’, ‘To The Ides’ - powerful advocates of the band’s prowess at their best. Elsewhere the album lacks the edge to memorably elevate it beyond the pack, something I’d also level at the only album I’ve heard by the band previously – 2002’s ‘Battle Cry For Help’. So not great, often good, sometimes very good. Better things may be yet to come for Grand Champeen, but in the meantime, ‘Dial T For This’ is certainly worth a try.

Track Listing:-

1 What It Beats
2 Different Sort of Story
3 Nice of You to Join Us
4 Wounded Eye
5 Can I See You Again
6 Cities On the Plain
7 Gonna Be the Death of Me
8 Raul Vela
9 Rottweiler Hair
10 To the Ides
11 Take Me Home
12 Songs You Want to Hear
13 Olivia