Review: Great Lakes - Diamond Times

8.0 / 10

2006 - 2007

Ben Crum and Dan Donahue have written the most charming and comprehensive album of their careers in Diamond Times. Declaring this the underrated album of the decade would certainly be going too far, but it is unquestionably a remarkable and under-appreciated work. The Great Lakes of the early 2000s, albeit a splendid one in its own right, may or may not have put down the green stuff for this record. Whatever the turn made, it surely was one for the better. This Elephant 6 satellite group abandoned the comforts of suburban Georgia and relocated to Brooklyn in preparation for the wowing of the world.
Leaping on board for this effort are Athens friends Bryan Poole, Dottie Alexander, Kevin Barnes and James Huggins - all sporting of Montreal green jackets. Other contributors include Matt Stoessel , Heather McIntosh (Circulatory System and the Instruments), and Chris Ziter. The album was recorded with the help of Jason Nesmith aka *Casper* of Casper and the Cookies fame.
It mixes the style of early Beach Boys call and response, Bad Brains-esque guitar riffs ("Hot Cosmos"), base lines Chris White would eagerly approve of, and an uplifting country twang on "Night Hearts" that you'd find if Dolly Parton and Pete Townsend ever met on the Bayou. Then, toward the end, the title track unfolds for three minutes of who-knows-what, leaving you speechless. The song is almost like something you'd hear in a movie concerning '20s Chicago gin joints if there were rock and roll in those days. Ben takes on a 21st century Tom Petty tone for the gorgeous "Horses Wings" that could pass for a Wilbury outtake. The "Eagles and Swans" outro is a rather boring, toned-down end to a sonicly impressive half hour of totally unique music.
It'd be a 9 if there was a little more mixup in the arrangement. All in all it's a fantastic listen, but it's not going to be on any top 100 lists of the future. Listen for yourself.