Most Popular
-
A Village Runs Through It: The RFT unveils its big bold plans for that big damn hole
-
Lust for Crust: Katie's ain't your typical St. Louis pizza joint
-
Tegan and Sara find their sister act soaring with The Con
-
University of Missouri biology professor Frederick vom Saal has been sounding the alarm about bisphenol A for a decade. Has he got your attention?
-
Say It Ain't So: Joe's Café Has Closed Down
-
Radio Active: What has Patty Wente done to create such a meltdown at KWMU? (40)
-
2007 RFT Music Showcase (6)
Week of May 31, 2007
-
Music Showcase Schedule (6)
The complete low-down on this year's nominated acts
-
Bad Buzz: King Bee building residents have turned on downtown St. Louis developers Sam Glasser and Dave Jump (3)
-
2006 RFT Music Awards (3)
Dean C. Minderman|Kristyn Pomranz|Andrew Miller|Kristie McClanahan|Christian Schaeffer|Andrew Miller|Ben Westhoff|Annie Zaleski|Brooke Foster|Jaime Lees|Roy Kasten
-
Tegan and Sara find their sister act soaring with The Con
-
Fifteen things you might not know about the Bottle Rockets, on their fifteenth birthday
-
B-Sides gets personal with Alicia Keys, as she is, and examines the parallels between Metallica-worshippers Apocalyptica and Harptallica
-
Using Their Illusion: Ferocious — and funny — locals the Livers hope video builds the radio star
-
Van Halen
8 p.m. Saturday, April 26. Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Avenue
-
Last Night Review: Kids in the Hall at The Pageant
05:28PM 05/21/08 -
Update: Mow Your Lawn, Mister McKee?
01:11PM 05/20/08 -
R.I.P. Hi-Pointe, Hello Par
04:34PM 05/21/08 -
Show Review: Armin van Buuren at Dante's, Tuesday, May 20
04:15PM 05/21/08 -
Heaven = Strawberries + Beer
06:09PM 05/21/08 -
Poll: Which Cheesesteak Cheese Do You Prefer?
03:07PM 05/21/08
What we are writing about
- 7-Up
- A Closer Walk with...
- Araka
- Central West End...
- COCA
- Cory Spinks
- Craft Alliance
- foie gras
- Kevin Kline Awards
- Ludo
- Mensa
- Mexican cuisine
- Mosaic
- musicals
- Othello
- Playstation
- RFT DJ Spin-off
- sexual harassment
- St. Louis theater
- The Black Rep
- The Ghost of the Forest
- Three Monkeys
- Tuesdays with Morrie
- University City
- Vashon High School
- Washington University
- White Flag Projects
- Wii
- Xbox
- ~scape
Recent Articles By Christian Schaeffer
-
Night Ranger
9 p.m. Sunday, May 25. Rib America Festival at World War Memorial Park, North 13th and Chestnut streets
-
The Iguanas
8 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City
-
The Whiskey Ring
Better than Some, Worse than Others
(self-released) -
Hot Sauced
-
Gotta Be Karim
Bean Pie EP
(Cobblestone Rock Music)
National Features
-
SF Weekly
The Price of Truth
Deanna Johnson agreed to testify about a murder suspect. In return, she lost her home, her son, and her dog.
By Ashley Harrell -
Dallas Observer
Terrain of Grief
At the Gold Star Family Support Center, families of fallen soldiers will never be told they need to stop mourning.
By Megan Feldman -
Houston Press
We Got Us a Convoy
Back in the good old days, truckers didn't need to carry chihuahuas in their cabs.
By Paul Knight
Dan Mehrmann leads Dropkick the Robot through eleven tracks that vary from straight-ahead Britpop-inspired rock & roll to hazy, more ethereal explorations. Mehrmann's voice can handle the upper octaves with a warbled, Jeff Buckley-esque grace (particularly on the radio-ready "Don't Let it Run You Over"), but he also emits an intimate warmth during Two Feet's more hushed moments. As a band, Dropkick the Robot is adept at swapping styles and setting moods; the musicianship is versatile and competent but never showy, which is always a threat when you gather five versatile, competent musicians.
The glitchy beats and unmoored keyboard notes of "Washed Up" recall Kid A-era Radiohead, with Mehrmann's disaffected delivery during the verses giving rise to a more rock-centric chorus. The title track comes next, and its loping waltz beat and wax-cylinder-era orchestration suggests a marriage between Jon Brion's antique instrumentation and Andrew Bird's intentionally blasé delivery; it's a left turn, but it is also one of the album's most fully realized moments. The rock action picks up on the second half of the disc, with "Lockjaw Alibi" offering a simple, potent rush of streamlined garage rock, complete with distorted, reverb-heavy vocals and an unleashed lead guitar. The stylistic hopscotch makes it impossible to pin one sound or descriptor on Two Feet, but Dropkick the Robot has proven adept at playing melodic, compelling songs no matter the subgenre.
Want your CD to be considered for a review in this space? Send music c/o The Riverfront Times, Attn: Homespun, 6358 Delmar Boulevard, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63130. E-mail music@riverfronttimes.com for more information.
