South San Gabriel / Centro-matic – Dual Hawks

When is a split album not a split album? When the songwriter and the singer are the same person? Yes and No. Will Johnson heads both South San Gabriel and Centro-matic for this double record, the first time the two bands have come together for a release. Centro-Matic showcases the power-pop, rockier side of Johnson’s writing, coming on like a more country tinged Sparklehorse at their most chipper, all lo-fi clatter, handclaps and tambourines. South San Gabriel’s album however sees the more introspective, quieter side of Johnson’s writing, for the most part abandoning drums and electric guitars to be replaced by cello and keyboards.13 years into Centro-matic’s career, and little has changed from their good-honest-boys-playing-good-honest-rock’n’roll thing. All fuzzed up riffs, crooning harmonies and buzz solo’s Neil Young would be proud of before collapsing in a heap at the end of each song. At their best Centro-matic call to mind the fuzzed out pop of early Sparklehorse, all be it less fragile sounding, or the Flaming Lips without the drugs and the sci-fi. Highlights here include the power pop surge of ‘Strychnine, Breathless Ways’ and ‘Rat Patrol and DJs’. On ‘Counting The Scars’ however, the band stake a break, leaving Johnson to pick his guitar slowly, and deliberately. It is a strange moment in the construction of what is supposed to be a ‘split’ album between the two bands, and you can’t help but think that it would have fitted better on the South San Gabriel half of the record.With the opening acoustic guitar runs and gentle strings, it is clear that the South San Gabriel half of Dual Hawks is a very different beast indeed. Opener ‘Emma Jane’ is all emotive strings, and reverberating steel strings, Johnson’s voice no longer straining at the leash, but whispering “we’re doing fine, we’re doing fine” as cello bows quiver. Gone is the bombast of Centro-Matic, to be replaced with a more inward looking, considered sound, complete with treated drums, mournful pedal steel (on album closer 'From This I Will Awake'), looping flutes (on 'The Arc and the Cusp') and distorted, Iron and Wine-esque hushed vocals (on 'My Goodbyes'). While a pleasant listen, Johnson can over emote a little in places, and there is nothing here to really take your breath away.While these two records are produced and performed by the same artist under different names, there is little else that bonds together, and while “two for the price of one” may present better value for the punter, the records may suffer for their close proximity, and are not allowed to stand for themselves as separate pieces of work. Still, their is much here worthy of praise (the swooning strings on SSG’s 'Trust to Lose' in particular) and I have no doubt that this is a record that will reward further listening. Centro-matic 71% South San Gabriel 68%Links Centro-matic [official site] [myspace] South San Gabriel [myspace]