Dumptruck
LEMMINGS TRAVEL TO THE SEA
(DEVIL IN THE WOODS)

What kind of band would cover one of the longest and most bitter songs Bob Dylan ever wrote? Probably a band with a lyrical yet venomous sound, a fairly dark worldview, and enough dedication to remember all those lyrics. That was Dumptruck in the ’80s, and their version of " Idiot Wind " (recorded at CBGB in 1988 and just released on this half-live/half-studio double disc) is a jaw dropper, with twin guitars blazing and a vengeful vocal from leader Seth Tiven. If Dylan had written the song early enough to play it at that infamous electrified " Royal Albert Hall " show, it would have sounded like this.

The live disc, which features both the original line-up with co-leader Kirk Swan and the later one with budding guitar hero Kevin Salem, stands as the definitive word on why this then-local band are remembered so fondly, and a reminder that Dumptruck mastered the art of wedding bleak lyrics to liberating songs long before grunge came along. Included are most of their local hits ( " Watch Her Fall, " " Back Where I Belong " ) — which, thanks to battles with their old label, have been unavailable for years. The new studio disc is the second Tiven has recorded since forming a new version of the band in Austin, and some of that city’s influence has now slipped in: the sound’s a bit more textured and countrified, with more guitar/organ interplay, and the songs are often surprisingly pretty. There’s also a slightly more hopeful tone in the words, though the anti-music-biz " Waste My Time " sounds exactly like the old band at their best.

Issue Date: September 27 - October 4, 2001