Album review: Deer Tick – Divine Providence
My first experience of Deer Tick was when a friend gave me a copy of 2009’s ‘The Black Dirt Sessions’. The songs, and the way John McCauley delivered them, left a lasting impression on me. To this day I still feel a sense of despair every time I hear ‘Christ Jesus’ and ‘Goodbye, Dear Friend’. So it was with some trepidation, and ultimately surprise, when I first heard Divine Providence. Surprise because far from being more of the same intensely personal songs as I expected, Divine Providence is basically a dumb, redneck rock ‘n’ roll album that could have just as easily been recorded by the Black Lips as Deer Tick (sorry Black Lips, I love you guys really!).
Divine Providence finds the band in full on ‘jock’ mode with songs like ‘Let’s All Go To the Bar’ and album opener ‘The Bump’, let alone the swearing that peppers the album (I’m no prude but it just adds to the general low stature of the songs). It isn’t a terrible album, the instruments are well played, McCauley is in good voice (if you like croaky voices), and there is the odd good song – ‘Main Street’ and Chevy Express’ in particular. Had I of not heard The Black Dirt Sessions I would have probably liked this a lot more, but when you know the band are capable of intelligent, thought provoking songs it’s such a disappointment to hear to this. ‘We’re four grown men/but we act like kids’ sing the band on opener ‘The Bump’ and that says it all. 5/10
Mark Cousens
Out now on Division
