Diary of a Superfan: Dual Hawks by Centro-matic/South San Gabriel

It has happened. Will Johnson/Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel (all three are basically the same band since Will Johnson writes all of the songs, and his three band-mates from Centro-Matic join him on all three projects) has finally lost me. This is no small feat. I used to see Centro-Matic in concert nearly once a month, have purchased every album/ep/single I could find and by now have seen them more than thirty times live. But after this, I can't be a superfan anymore. This double-album the most unessential and least interesting music he has recorded to date. The most interesting thing about it is the title: it's the only double album I've heard of to be recorded by "two" (they're really the same band) bands.

So lets start with the Centro-Matic disc. Judging by the reviews I read, I was in a minority for considering their previous album, Fort Recovery, to be a new low point in their career. But even that album had more memorable hooks than Dual Hawks. Other than the band's attempt to become a barroom country band on "Twenty-Four", there are few flashes of creativity here. In fact, Centro-Matic sounds LESS creative than they did in their Denton heyday. What's so frustrating about the songs here is that they're not bad, they're just not memorable at all. There's simply no reason to listen to this album if you have any other Centro-Matic album.

The South San Gabriel disc isn't much better. It benefits from more interesting and diverse instrumentation, but like its companion, it also lacks hooks. The notable exception for me is the closing track, "From This I Will Awake" which manages to finally grab me as Will Johnson sings "I may need you to wait" as the song climaxes. Unfortunately, by then I've stopped paying attention. The tone of this disc is so somber and morose that even when the band comes up with an interesting arrangement like they do on "Of Evil/For Evil" and "Senselessly", I just can't stay interested.

With Dual Hawks it is finally clear that Will Johnson is spreading himself thin. There is maybe enough material on these two discs for one decent album. If they had put their full energies behind the best ten songs, maybe I would be writing a very different review. But they didn't. And Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel are performing "together" as I write this. Maybe the shows will prove grueling and Will Johnson will finally wise up and record under one band name. Here's hoping.