“Straightforward indie rock, just like you listened to in the 90’s. Are you noticing this? The 90’s are fucking hot.” -- Mike Conklin, The L Magazinectrl-alt-del, the upcoming album by The Diggs, expands on the aesthetic laid forth by the band’s previous album Commute while refining their big sound with leaner and more concise arrangements. The tone of the new record is frantic and at times haunting. However, there is a glimmer of hope embedded throughout, where disillusion is broached with nostalgia, and angst is juxtaposed with optimism.
The result is twelve cinematic songs about redemption. STREAM ctrl-alt-del.
“This Emphatically” -- Arena rock burner with huge guitars and big vocals; a definitive track one.
“Careen”-- The first single, catchy mid-nineties indie guitar pop.
“ctrl-alt-del” -- Pre-emo anthemic indie rocker with layered guitars and bold vocals blared with regret.
“...And in the End Shoot Back”-- A beautiful cinematic snapshot about heartbreak with lyrics lifted from a deceased friend of the band’s (Brendan Colin Xavier Darcy) unfinished novel.
“Anagrams”-- Gorgeous indie pop with an infectious sing along chorus.
“Brigante”-- A dark mid-tempo rocker with a huge build up addressing the anxiety of modern inner city life.
“Recovery Forever”-- Arpeggio driven shoegaze ballad. Brutally honest lyrics and haunting vocals obscured under the guise of humility and latent desire; the centerpiece of the album.
“Brightness Falls”-- Jangly punk tune with a strong pop radio sensibility.
“Collide/Collapse”-- A pub rocker with a nod to Be Here Now era Oasis.
“Carpal Tunnel”-- Progressive power pop anchored by a glockenspiel showcasing Schmid’s percussive virtuosity.
“You Really Used to Light up the Room”-- Intense echoing indie epic with an explosive build up and climax. The apex of the record.
“Vitamins”-- Optimistic coda and the falling action to “...Light Up The Room” ending the record with a glimmer of hope.
Attention New Yorkers!
Join us on Wednesday, February 13 at Hi-Fi (19 Avenue A, NYC) for a listening party with The Diggs. Hear the new album ctrl-alt-del from 9PM-12AM.
More about The Diggs:
The Diggs are a Brooklyn-based band with a melodic Mid-nineties indie rock sound. Their sophomore LP ctrl-alt-del was recorded at Stratosphere Sound, the New York City studio owned by ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and Fountain of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger. The record was produced and mixed by Rudyard Lee Cullers (Ryan Adams’ Rock N’ Roll, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Isis EP) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation, Nirvana’s Nevermind, Oasis’ Definitely Maybe) at Masterdisk.
The Diggs formed in late 2003 in Mineola, a town on the north shore of Long Island. Lannen and Haussmann were roommates at the time looking to keep momentum after a band they were in together broke up. They formed The Diggs the day after their former band dissolved. Together they recruited a high school classmate of Lannen’s named Erik Dose to play drums. During Dose’s brief tenure with the band, they produced a demo/EP called Parahora in the kitchen of their apartment with his equipment. They recorded mostly at night while their El Salvadorian gangster neighbors sold coke and ran guns out of the downstairs apartment.
After Dose left the band, The Diggs started rehearsing with their former band mate Jim Mansfield who agreed to play live until they could find a permanent drummer. The Diggs played their first shows in May 2004. Off the strength of the demo, Universal Records sent an A&R rep. to their first gig at the old Luna Lounge and their second show at Trash Bar in Brooklyn was a bill with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
The Diggs continued to rehearse drummers until they were introduced to Charlie Schmid through a friend of a friend. He immediately clicked and joined the band in September 2004. During this time, Lannen and Haussmann relocated to Brooklyn (Bushwick and Carroll Gardens respectively). They continued to write songs and play shows in Brooklyn/NYC. Then in November 2004, they began to record a new EP titled Orange in Huntington, NY with producer Phil Jimenez (ex-Wheatus). A couple of their friends decided to start a record label called Sugarspun Records and signed The Diggs in March of 2005, releasing Orange in May. By June the rest of New York really started to take notice. After a sold out show at The Delancey with Ghostland Observatory in late June, The Diggs were suddenly the toast of the blogosphere. Their EP piqued the interest of Fabtone Records in Japan. Fabtone wanted to put out a full length, so The Diggs returned to Jimenez’s studio and recorded their debut LP Commute which they completed in October 2005. Fabtone began distributing the record in January 2006.
Commute was well received by Time Out New York, The Village Voice, MSNBC.com, and The L Magazine, as well as countless blogs. The record was full of swirling dream pop epics and anthems about frustration and anxiety. The record charted on KEXP radio in Seattle in February and March of 2006 landing them an in-studio performance for the station that May. The Diggs went on to share bills with The View, Midlake, Jeremy Enigk (ex-Sunny Day Real Estate), The Most Serene Republic, Annuals, Pela, Field Music, and Amusement Parks On Fire to name a few.
ctrl-alt-del Tracklisting:
Stream The Album HERE
Release Date: 03.11.08
01. This Emphatically
02. Careen
03. ctrl-alt-del
04....And in the End Shoot Back
05. Anagrams
06. Brigante
07. Recovery Forever
08. Brightness Falls
09. Collide/Collapse
10. Carpal Tunnel
11. You Really Used to Light up the Room
12. Vitamins
Tools & Hi-Res Photos:
www.fanaticpromotion.com/rosterdetails.php?indexkey=1269
On The Web:
www.thediggs.com
www.myspace.com/thediggs
www.sugarspunrecords.com
www.myspace.com/sugarspun
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