The Thrill Of Gravity
Dolly Varden

1. California Zephyr
2. First Class Blackout
3. Lucky 23
4. The Old In And Out
5. All I Deserve
6. Dangerously Thin
7. Sunflower Drag
8. The Good Life
9. I Can't Wait Anymore
10. The Wheels Have Left The Road

RELEASE INFO

On their second outing, Chicago's Dolly Varden opens the raw edges on their country-rock sound (and I stress rock) without letting any of their glorious, darkly textured sadness leave their collective heart. The set opens with "California Zephyr," a Rolling Stones-ish countrified jaunt along the precipice where raw, stinging electric guitars entwine with a B3. Stephen Dawson and Diane Christensen's harmonies are tighter than on Mouthful of Lies and dig deeper into the Gram/Emmylou bag, but rock far harder and make no attempt to disguise their emotion underneath the gravity of the song. The same is true on "First Class Blackout," which would have made an awesome B-side to the opener. This track, which has a feel in the seam between the Stones and Uncle Tupelo's finer moments, tells a dark story of excess which may or may not be redeemed. These are both winners, but they only hint at what is to come with Diane Christensen's "Lucky 23," a lilting ballad that is exquisitely textured for maximum emotional effect: disintegration in slow motion.

Ms. Christensen is a painter, and the manner in which the songs she sings are produced reveals layers of surface, meaning, and texture in the song's prone body. There's a split somewhere in the lyrics -- which I'll not reveal here -- and in that split, entire worlds of backtracked guitars, droning keyboards, drifting ambience, and noise are all wafting around yet harnessed by Dolly Varden's restraint around her. The tune creates a tension that is only dispelled by Dawson's vocal on "The Old in and Out," another ballad of stark construction, desolate and resigned emotion, and subtly shifting timbres in the melody. It's the other side of Ms. Christensen's dream, only in black and white instead of color. Track after track the maze creates itself, moving into ever more experimental territory that never meanders out of the blurry boundaries that constitute song. The country songs like "I Can't Wait Anymore" sound like the Everlys touched by the angel of Doug Sahm, while "Dangerously Thin" and "All I Deserve" skirt the edges of formalism and hover above the ground with tears falling. This is another step forward for an already very fine band. With a killer sleeve by Ms. Christensen to boot, it's a heck of a package and one of the more compelling records to blend original musical inspiration with nearly peerless lyrical imagination in a long, long time.

"On the thrill of gravity, their standout 2nd album, Dolly Varden can roots-rock with the best of them, while reflecting the smartest sense of pop-craft...fired and quieted by complex emotion, not to mention animated guitars-acoustic, electric, lap steel, psychedelic-the songs never settle into easy solutions." -No Depression

"The perfect late-night summer soundtrack...something like the Velvet Underground meets the Flying Burrito Brothers." -Memphis Flyer

"The sounds they can wring from heartache and desolation are enough to cause fainting spells...Dawson and Christiansen can harmonize like lovers holding hands in the glow of a harvest moon." -Pulse of the Twin Cities

"A completely original mix of pop, folk, country, R&B, you name it...truly timeless." -WXRT-FM Chicago

"A batch of intensely personal songs investigating commitment, worth and durability all with unflinching honesty and emotion. The Thrill of Gravity's strength is in the self-contained purpose and power of each song." -Illinois Entertainer

"With their new album, The Thrill of Gravity, Chicago-based Dolly Varden have dispelled any concerns about a sophomore slump in a big way. Dawson and Christainsen are two parts of the same voice, and when the subtle harmonies register, its tough to tell where one ends and the other begins." -River Cities Reader

"Dolly Varden's The Thrill of Gravity is the best work they've done, gently expanding the roots rock of their debut with edgy pop like 'sunflower drag' and piano work by Gastr del Sol's David Grubbs." -Chicago Reader

"Impeccable melodies, interesting and intelligent lyrics, rich harmonies and poignant tales of emotional adventure...The Thrill of Gravity is enchanting." -Iowa City ICON

"The Thrill of Gravity is a reminder and an affirmation that Dolly Varden has quietly become one of Chicago's most treasured bands." -Chicago Tribune

"A collection of 10 songs that opens up gradually, revealing colors, evoking moods and becoming so deeply felt over time it's chilling. Inside each catchy rocker or bare slice of melancholia is a restless drama that pulls and tugs from start to finish." -Chicago-Daily Herald

"...a soulful and talented alterna-country quintet, Dolly Varden has now been on the circuit for 4-years, and The Thrill of Gravity makes me hope they'll be around for many more." -CMJ

"Ahh, a breath of fresh air after all this punk rock and nonsense." -Impact Press