Diamond Rugs have announced a new album, Cosmetics, out February 24th, 2015.
A trending phrase these days seems to be, “Rock and roll is dead.” When I hear that, I ask people what they’re listening to, because you’re not going to find rock and roll on Pandora’s Todays Hits. Where can you find it? Well, I’d start with the newly announced Diamond Rugs album Cosmetics, out February 2015.
Diamond Rugs is a rock and roll super group featuring John McCauley of Deer Tick, Robbie Crowell of Deer Tick, T. Hardy Morris of Dead Confederate, Ian Saint Pé, formally of the Black Lips, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and Bryan Dufresne of Six Finger Satellite.
The band started as a joke punk album John McCauley wanted to make with a couple friends (called Stoner Drama) and became a more serious band when Los Labos’ Steve Berlin wanted to join in. The band of misfits then spent ten days recording their self-titled debut album in Nashville.
Their latest album, Cosmetics, was produced by Adam Landry and Justin Collins, Diamond Rug’s new album was recorded in Nashville, TN, at Playground Sound Studio last summer.
With McCauley and Crowell touring in promotion of Deer Tick’s latest album Negativity, and T. Hardy Morris touring and releasing his first solo record, it was tough to make everyone’s schedules fit to record Cosmetics. But it was important to the band for everyone to get back together, as McCauley explains, “You form these friendships with people on the road, and you might not see ’em again for a year or two, or longer, so it’s a nice way for us musician pals to keep in touch.”
The band stayed true to their first album while making Cosmetics, as Ian Saint Pé said, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” although the band also stated that the new album will see deeper lyrics and more introspective songwriting.
Cosemetics was cut like Diamond Rug’s first album, on 1-inch 8-track tape, as many classic rock records were made back in the 60s and early 70s. The 8-tracks put a limitation how much you can fit into the song, which Saint Pé calls, “the art of deconstruction.” He went on to explain, “if you give yourself those [8 tracks] limitations, you kind of have to live with things as they are. But those imperfections are perfection, and they’re a big part of Diamond Rugs’ sound.”
Diamond Rugs is a band that proves rock and roll is still out there, in between the space of goofing around with your friends and making music. Sean L Maloney summed up the spirit of the band the best,
“Diamond Rugs make the sort of loose and limber rock ‘n’ roll that inspires liquor-induced hijinks…good-natured shenanigans from genial punk-rock goons making rock music for your local jukebox.”
Cosemetics will be out on February 24th, 2015, and is available for preorder on the band’s website.
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