The End of Comedy
IN A NUTSHELL:
Recommended for:
Fans of psychedelic
Fans of 60s pop
Fans of late 60s/early 70s songwriters
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Pros:
Catchy songwriting
Great psychedelic production
Great feature performances
Relaxing and low-key
Cons:
You’re not gonna find bangers or party anthems on here
After creating the cleverly titled projects Run DMT and Salvia Plath, Michael Collins has created a new project called Drugdealer. As the name would suggest Drugdealer tends to be influenced by the late 60s, early 70s psychedelic bands and singer/songwriters. Collins creates The End of Comedy with the help of Ariel Pink, Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood, and many other musicians.
Photo from Drugdealer's Bandcamp
Magicfingers:
With a name like Drugdealer, you can’t help but have some expectations going into this listen. Specifically I expected some hippy, psychedelic soft rock. Drugdealer turned out to exceed my expectations though… (That was a strange sentence.) What I ended up hearing from this artist was an album full of clever songwriting and interesting structures. It seemed to ooze with 60’s-esque Beatles vibes and comforting guitar melodies.
This record is certainly strongest towards the beginning, songs like “The Real World”, “Suddenly”, and “Easy to Forget” really show the best that Drugdealer has to offer. Lots of interesting instrumentation and production weave their way through those songs and the rest of the album. The flute and flagellated guitar on “Were You Saying Something” were particularly enjoyable as well. The intro, outro as well as the interluding track “Theme for Alessandro” break the album up and keep things from getting too stale.
Unfortunately towards the end of the album, the songwriting seemed to run a little dry for me. The latter end of the record felt more like B-Sides and filler tracks to me. But overall this was a really fun and unique listen. I’d recommend flipping this record on a cloudy Saturday morning and sipping some coffee.
Favorite Song: “Suddenly”
7.5/10
Your Mom:
It feels like it’s been some time since we have hit an alternative album. This is a good change of pace. This album is very easy to listen to. The whole thing slides down like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day. It may even be too easy to listen to. The album is incredibly mellow, and that’s ok. But, dynamics are critically missing. This causes the whole album to mesh together in a bland manner.
That being said, there are some fun breaks with musical interludes and instrumental breakdowns. Furthermore, this album sounds very Beatle-esque due to the vocals, the instrument production, and the general atmosphere. This being said, these guys are not the next Beatles. They just have a few ’68 - ’69 similarities. This group is not necessarily trying to be the mop-tops all over again either, and there are definitely some unique qualities to Drugdealer. This being said, modern alternative has a tendency to fall into a retro style, and this is a good example of that. Of course, good music is good music, and time is but a number. If you’re having a lazy day- flip this one.
Track: “Suddenly”
6.6/10
Melodydealer:
Well isn’t this a nice little album. The debut album of Michael Collins’s new project Drugdealer offers us 30 minutes of mellow, relaxing psychedelic pop as if it was straight from the 60s. Collins gets the help of guest vocalists such as Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood, who contribute quite nicely to this thing.
Something that’s easy to notice is how well these guest artists fit in each of the songs. Collins knows exactly how to use everyone playing on The End of Comedy and writes with their strengths. On “Suddenly,” Collins puts certain effects on Weyes Blood’s smooth and serene vocals to give them an ELOish vibe to accompany flangey guitars and saxophones. It’s just one example of the great sense of musical awareness of Michael Collins.
The End of Comedy doesn’t overstay its welcome either. It’s 30 minutes long with 9 songs plus an intro and outro. It gives you enough to be satisfied without becoming bland or putting filler songs on it.
While adrenaline junkies or people wanting hard-hitting music may not get their fixin’ from this album, it’s still one people should check out. There’s great songwriting, production, and some great vocal performances from Weyes Blood among others as well. Give The End of Comedy a spin and chill.
Top Pickin’s: “Suddenly,” “The Real World,” “The End of Comedy”
7.7/10
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The adventure continues:
"Stranger to Stranger"
By: Paul Simon
Our team is comprised of some semi-normal, occasionally funny people who love to listen to and talk about music. And like many of you, we constantly find ourselves hungry to discover new music.