Pacific Dub – Tightrope
1.) Close To you
2.) You And Me
3.) Tight Rope
4.) Painted Faces
5.) Wasted
6.) Best Of All Time
7.) Little Things
8.) Puzzles
9.) Like You
10.) Hold On
11.) Dreaming
12.) Find Your Way
The Pier Album Rating:
Release Date: June 26th, 2012
Official Website: Pacific Dub’s Official Website
Group Background:
Hailing from Huntington Beach, CA, Pacific Dub was founded in 2008. Bursting onto the scene in a flash, Pacific Dub firmly placed their name amongst other Southern California reggae-rock bands by hitting the road on national & regional tours supporting the likes of The Dirty Heads, Iration, The Movement and Rebelution, among others. Pacific Dub’s catchy melodies and choruses captivated crowds at each stop, while coupling that with classic rock guitar melodies and traditional reggae rhythms, fans have comeback in droves to relive the sound in person, at each subsequent tour. In the band’s brief history, Pacific Dub has already managed to release four studio albums including their debut EP First Drop, Fire Eye, To The Sky, as well as their most anticipated release yet and most recent album, Tightrope.
Album Review:
If Tightrope is your first introduction to Pacific Dub, the opening track to the album gives one little time to catch their breath. With hard cracking of the snare drum from David Delaney and intertwining the winding guitar riffs of Bryce Klemer, their welcome to the album is utilized through their instruments. Before long, the lovable lyrics of Colton Place are embedded into the listener’s ears. But, Pacific Dub goes far beyond just those three band members with Ryan Neglich laying down funky bass lines and Justin Quarress’ driving force on the keys.
One area that Pacific Dub has carved out a niche in the reggae-rock community, it would certainly be the instantly catchy love songs and accompanying choruses. Perhaps, “Best Of All Time” is the best example of this, planting the Pacific Dub flag as reggae royalty in the love song department. However, for most bands, loving lullabies means slowing down the tempo of the track, and sometimes unplugging their instruments; not in Pacific Dub’s case. If anything, the band picks up speed and takes their sound to another level.
Although the aforementioned track was released as a single in 2011, the Tightrope album version does have added sodalities to increase the listener’s likability of the new track. With constant touring from the band over the past few years, some of the songs on the 12-track album will be familiar to fans at first. But with crisp precision from Pacific Dub in recording sessions and the helping hand from producer Lew Richards of 17th St. Recording Studios, the well-known tracks now have many layers just beyond the five-piece band featured on the road.
Some of the highlights from the album include the album’s title track, which the soft piano keys grab the attention of the listener from start to finish. “Little Things”, a song that exhibits the band’s softer side as they utilize an acoustic guitar, “Dreaming”, which is a complete shift from that acoustic style, as the distorted electric guitar solos rain down relentlessly throughout. Another highlight from the album was the guest vocal appearance by Massive McGregor on the album’s finale, adding a few traditional toasting rhymes made famous by countless island performers over the past decades.
Overall, Tightrope is not necessarily an industry-changing album, but still has plenty of bright spots to ensure listeners can capture the sunshine of California in audio form for all of the seasons, no matter where one is located.
Written & Reviewed By: Kris Siuta
[Editors Note: All reviews are reflective of the album in it’s entirety, from start to finish. These reviews are the honest opinion of each writer/reviewer, expressing their feedback as a genuine fan of the music. Each star rating reflects their review of the album, not the band. Music is subjective. Regardless of the review or star rating, we encourage you to listen to the music yourself & form your own opinion. Spread the awareness of all music in its art & contribution]