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The advertising for Tim Lee’s
new album No Discretion
begins with the proclamation: “13 songs…
6 recording studios in 3 states… 16 musicians…
18 months… 1 finished product…”
These are some impressive numbers, which lead the
soon to be listener to believe that they hold a
magnum opus in their hands. That this is an album
whose songs proudly display the depth of their varied
origins, honed to perfection. This seems an inappropriate
statement for No Discretion, which seems to revel
in the simplicity of its garage sound.
No Discretion has the feel of a live album, perhaps
due to the fact all of the songs have been played
live long before being recorded, while some were
recorded live in the studio. Tim Lee has produced
an album of bare bones rock with very few fancy-pants
effects. His Southern origins are apparent in
style and in his voice, which seems to waiver
between Michael Stipe and Jimmy
Buffet. Many of the songs are filled
with loud and dirty guitar riffs, punctuated with
a basic drumbeat.
No Discretion kicks off with the up-tempo,
toe tapping, “I Wanna Believe.” It
slows down with the songs “New Hope”
and “The Rain Came Down.” My problem
is that most of the songs on the album have the
same sound even if they change tempo. A simple
bass-line and drumbeat under a guitar with the
reverb cranked all the way up. I don’t think
that Tim Lee is trying to break new ground with
No Discretion, but it begins to sound like many
of the other bands I have heard in smoky clubs
across the South.
It is my understanding that this album is classified
as “Power Pop,” but to me it sounds
like Southern Rock. Simple, yet twangy. If you
long for a time before bands had a multitude of
sound effects at their fingertips, then this just
might be the album for you.
www.paisleypop.com
-Ian Nelson, September 17, 2004
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