The Infidels – Lobotomy
The Infidels – Lobotomy – Album Review
This whole realm of music is an interesting place I tells ya. Some folks out there will call a seven song record an EP, some will insist it’s an album. Some will tell ya it depends on the length of the total amount of time that determines which is which, some will tell ya it’s the amount of tracks simple and plain. Just the other day I was listening to a song that was something like, sixteen & a half-minutes long – and that’s practically an album in The Infidels cannon if you look at their catalog throughout the years! You just never know what you’re in-store for in this business of art and music on my side of the screen.
I dig the consistency of The Infidels though, and I’ve come to respect that over the years that I’ve been listening so far, which incidentally, trace all the way back to…early 2019 I reckon. Okay, I’m looking it up – but you get the idea – it’s been a while at this point. I’ve been listening to Ian Dellinger and his band do their thing on many records at this pont…the self-titled release in that first year that I heard’em, the next album Mental Wealth that was also released in 2019…Wounds Time Won’t Heal in 2021. Seems like it’s been a minute or two since we last heard some new tunes from them – but to be completely fair to the band, The Infidels have continued to be busy – they released a demo EP called Dance Until We Die towards the beginning of this year as they soldiered on towards this new record called Lobotomy. All the songs you’ll find on that EP appear in this lineup, and notably, if you’re into your numbers and shit, you’ll see from the hit-count at YouTube that Dance Until We Die has amassed some of the most attention The Infidels has received so far, which is always encouraging. You get an additional three songs on Lobotomy to round out this set of seven in total…and if the buzz continues to grow for their music, I’d say you’ll be looking at this album being their most successful to-date in the court of public opinion, or at least the most listened-to. You get it. It could be either of those things, maybe even both.
Dig the grittiness of “Thought Police” as Lobotomy begins – the guitars are sounding great on this opening track, and the way each element of this cut is separated in the recording is…interesting to me. It’s the kind of approach that certainly speaks to the effort that’s being put in, and I appreciate that. Ian’s Gothic-Folk vocals work really well too – and I think he’s got a great idea in how the chorus of this track distinguishes itself from the verses sound-wise. Subject-wise, believe me when I tell ya, he’s not the first to draw inspiration from Orwell’s 1984, and Dellinger certainly ain’t gonna be the last either – in fact, you might argue that the “Thought Police” are already here in the present day, and I might even agree with ya somewhat on that. Personally, I feel like The Infidels started this record out on the right note, and arguably, I’ll go on to tell ya later on down the road that they ended it on the right notes too, even if we’re talking about a large margin of difference between the way things start and finish on Lobotomy. Ultimately, there’s a lot of material to work with when you’re talking about the inspiration for a track like “Thought Police,” whether you’re going straight to the source of Orwell’s original text, or you’re observing the state of the planet today…this was a smart move on part of The Infidels and I really like what they’ve got goin’ on here in this opening track. Strong hooks to go along with it, where you’ll hear Ian singing “this isn’t new, this isn’t news, listen to me” bouncing between your lefts and rights – it’s as effectively observant as it is entertaining, and still sticks to The Infidels script to keep the ol’ street cred intact. It can certainly be said it’s more of a polished tune than you tend to hear from the band in some ways I suppose, but I felt like it retained that raw and real essence that’s always been their sound.
“Skin And Bones” has its moments. Somewhere in the realm that exist between what Nick Cave and Lou Reed do, you’d find a track like “Skin And Bones” finding a comfortable place. It’s poetic and observant, which is fairly true of the vast majority of Dellinger’s tunes when it comes right down to it I suppose…so that might not be the newest information I could share with ya. How about this then – I’d say that a track like “Skin And Bones” incorporates a bit more Pop into its Folk-Rock than you typically hear from Ian…and that ain’t exactly a bad thing at all. I suspect a lot of people would probably even tell ya that’s a good thing, and I wouldn’t be inclined to disagree with that assessment. There’s an accessibility to a tune like “Skin And Bones” that should have no real problem drawing listeners in…it’s a song with an old-school vibe to it, but in that timelessly relevant type of way. Like, you can practically see a 45” vinyl spinning with “Skin And Bones” stamped on it in your mind as you listen, you feel me? When you hear that first transition into the chorus and how the production values on this track change in comparison to the verses…that warmth you’ll find there…I gotta say, that’s where I’d be aiming at if I was The Infidels. The verses probably have the guitars either up a bit too much, or a bit too much treble on’em for my own personal taste, but hearing Ian shift into the hooks of “my time is coming soon” was pretty damn remarkable if you ask me. It’s the kind of move that’s actually a bit on the unpredictable side if you ask me…where a track like “Skin And Bones” begins, you wouldn’t really think it ends up settling into the hooks and sound that it eventually goes on to find. The ideas are solid throughout, I suppose all I’m saying is that the guitars in the verses could potentially be sunken in a bit deeper into the mix as they’re kinda tryin’ to steal the show in terms of what we hear most, and I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s the highlight element of a tune like “Skin And Bones” – but the rest of it is. In any event, this song probably makes the most sense to have chosen as a single, which The Infidels did about four months ago or so.
“A Place Not Unkind” was also a single for The Infidels if I am reading the tea leaves correctly…released in advance of both this record and the aforementioned Dance Until We Die EP, sometime back in September of 2022. Does it make sense to have released this tune as a single? No less sense than any other track by The Infidels would really if I’m being completely honest with ya. I mean…sure, I could make an argument that a track like “Skin And Bones” is more accessible and has a more universal hook at the core of its chorus, but I’d probably be inclined to say that a song like “A Place Not Unkind” seems more…hmm…let’s say representative of what The Infidels sound like overall – that make sense to ya? Singles could be put out for a variety of reasons of course, but trust me when I tell ya, as a person that used to get sucked into buying CDs that were like $39.99 and ‘import only’ all the time, the last thing you ever wanna do is sell the public on a sound that isn’t really there, you know what I mean? So, sure – maybe you’re not gonna dance to “A Place Not Unkind” – but you’ll definitely know what you’re getting with The Infidels through a song like this, and if you like what you hear, you’re bound to like more on Lobotomy and within the rest of their catalog. That being said, “Skin And Bones,” aka “Skin ‘n’ Bones” did eventually get its single-status earlier this year as well…and there really ain’t no harm in covering all the angles either. It’s not like you’re going to hear “Skin And Bones” and think that it seems like…you know…un-Infidel-y…it still sounds like the band you know and love, even if it shifts their sound in a bit of a different direction. All I’m saying is that “A Place Not Unkind” seems very much to me to be that kind of Ian Dellinger type of tune that I know he’s good at writing in a variety of ways from what I’ve heard in the past from The Infidels. “So I’ll send you a flower one petal at a time” is a wonderful line that stands out…there’s a lot of sweetness and sincerity at the heart of this song, inside of its lyricism and melody. Whether or not you feel like it qualifies as a ‘single’ in the traditional sense of the definition aside, I felt like “A Place Not Unkind” was definitely among this album’s best tunes, if not number one in the bunch.
When it comes to a track like “American Romance,” I end up smiling & marveling at how into his whole style of sound Ian can be. Personally, I think there are many easier ways of singing “American Romance” than the routes he’s choosing, and that there’s a melody in there that he’s just scratching the surface of. Like, I’d be the first to tell ya, this has the potential to be amongst the best songs he’s ever written AND the most accessible – that’s right, both of those fantastic things. He’s very much in love with that low-drawl type of sound, and I ain’t about to be the guy to tell him that he shouldn’t. I dig all kinds of singers that have that kind of deal goin’ on from The Editors to The National and I could probably name dozens more. To me, what makes them all freakin’ magical though, are those tiny moments where they let the melody break through the darkness just a bit more than normal. It could be the whole song, or it could be a single line inside of one…you never really know, because that’s just the thing – it’s unpredictable. You get used to these somewhat monotone type of sounds that you don’t end up expecting something that’s too much more dynamic than the flat-line we become accustomed to. If that sounds insulting, you’ll have to forgive me, that’s not my intention – so let me be clear – “American Romance” has a massive amount of potential to it. I feel like Ian’s just starting to tap into what can really make it great, that’s all I’m saying. It’s a matter of breaking character, just a little, even if that character is who you really are. Think of it like comedy, to make a terrible analogy because a good one escapes me…but you know those moments where really funny people become even funnier because they can’t control their laughter when someone else around them is making them ‘break?’ It’s that same effect when it comes to music. The element of surprise can really work in an artist’s favor. If I was Ian, I’d go back and redo “American Romance” with nothing BUT melody in mind and as the song’s first priority at all times – I like what he’s got started here, don’t get me wrong…I mean fuck, I’m EXCITED about what I hear already, because I’m not only hearing something great, but I can recognize its potential to become even greater. As it stands, I feel like he’s completely on the right track here, but I’d continue to work with this song and try to enhance the melodic aspect in his vocals…the contrast between that and the meat of the rock at the music’s core can really work out well. Bonus points for the organ in the background of the mix.
“New Wall,” is almost like the polar opposite to “American Romance” – this is where I’d advise Ian some real caution about not writing a song that’s already been written a thousand times before, or potentially sounding more uninspired than he actually IS, you know what I mean? This dude clearly loves making music…and he’s clearly got his thing…it’s an identifiable sound that he not only makes in The Infidels, but the same kind of sound you know he also listens to in the music he’s got coming through his own stereo, all likely from the mid-60s to late 70s. “New Wall” is freakishly dicey to me in some ways, and I get it in others. Like…lyrically, and regarding the vocal melody, I think Ian’s got some major work to do here in order to keep up to the standards he’s already shown us in his previous tunes…that’s my take, that’s my opinion. Musically, “New Wall” is an absolutely show-stopper and sounds completely fantastic – that’s where this song excels, and that’s definitely what I’d be building around. He might still be drawing on a lot of what’s already tried, tested, and true within Americana-Folk/Rock to a large degree, but you can’t argue too much against something going completely right, which is exactly what’s happening in the music of “New Wall.” So yeah man…I think that Dellinger’s gotta hear something like that, recognize that, and accept the challenge to raise the stakes – pair awesome WITH awesome, if only because there ain’t no harm in that approach! Part of me felt like he’s letting the music do the work on “New Wall,” and letting the lyrics and vocal melody kind of drop by the wayside as if there’s no way for those elements to compete. Fuck that! Get in there and get’er done bud! When you find something killer in music, get inspired to find something even MORE killer to add to it, and settle for nothing less.
You get these moments where you hear a track like “We Gonna Make It” and you just wanna shake the guy a little bit to get that energy and adrenaline flowing…because that’s often what The Infidels need and what these songs are calling out for. I mean, hell, “We Gonna Make It” is practically a Punk song at the core of its DNA if we’re talking about the verses and the design of its chorus – and I guess when it comes right down to it, it’s like I said earlier – I feel like Ian makes things almost harder on himself by not adding in what the moment is asking for. He knows a track like “We Gonna Make It” is demanding that extra energy from him, and he’s blue-ballin’ it on purpose…I’m simply sayin’ there’s an inherent risk that comes along with that approach. On one hand, it continually sounds like he’s got another level to rise to – which ends up sending a signal to the listeners like he’s holding something back. On the other hand, we end up having to wonder if he’s willing to challenge himself as an artist to try something new in that respect – he’s very locked into his main gear, but there’s a whole rainbow of color out there that can be added into a song dear readers, dear friends. Experiment! Get loose with it! Try things out of your comfort zone – all that stuff. You know WHY you wanna do that? Not only because you’ll grow at an exponential rate as an artist, but because YOU. WILL. SURPRISE. YOURSELF. I completely guarantee it. By crankin’ up the music surrounding him, he might find the freedom he needs to really let it out when it comes to his vocals…”We Gonna Make It” actually ends up sounding fairly bare bones when it comes right down to it…moments like the instrumental solo with the keys are freakin’ spectacular and special, but the rest of this tune felt like it could really use some extra beef to it to give it more bite to its sound.
To be entirely fair to Ian, there are moments where you can find him trying to break outta his shell a bit more than others, and notably when it comes to this record, you’ll find that happening on “Dirt Road.” Do I love it? Do I hate it? Honestly, I feel like that’s all practically beside the point – I am stoked to hear him trying something different and branching out! Regardless of whether or not you or I or anyone out there feels like what we hear on “Dirt Road” is the right direction, I respect the hell out of him switching things up to see what else he’s capable of. If you want my honest opinion, I’m probably half with him on the song overall…ultimately, I feel like it’s just in need of a bit of a polish when it comes to the recording – but other than that, he SOUNDS LIKE A YOUNG MARK LANEGAN on this song, and that is AWESOME. Would I have thought that was something Dellinger would remind me of based on what I’ve heard from the guy so far? Not really, no! Possible perhaps, but not likely – and so you see, the positive effects of genuine surprise…it can work wonders in your favor. There are many ways we could look at and listen to a song like “Dirt Road” and examine the differences you’ll find between this and the majority of the established catalog from The Infidels so far – but Ian knows full well what they are, and you’ll hear it all for yourself when you listen. To me, I think it’s refreshing and it creates a compelling exit from this album that could very well point to what the future could hold too. I ain’t here to argue that “Dirt Road” is perfect, because I don’t know that it is, nor that it’s really intended to be in that polished type of way that we generally experience music to be. That being said, I felt like there’s something significantly special happening in this final track that could totally illuminate a pathway forward from here, and an exciting new chapter of The Infidels coming right around the corner. Time will tell, as it always does.
Listen to The Infidels at Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6pOsXu1TXHL4pz26YtXjXO
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