Being On The Road Influences Being 'Drunk like Bible Times'

Being on the road influences 'Drunk like Bible Times'
Matthew Winters

Coming from experience, when you are on the road for more than a few weeks, everything begins to have a steady beat to it, much like the engine of a car or the wheels of a train. It infiltrates everything. A band that can attest to this is the Arizona band "Dear & the Headlights." Having toured for an inordinate amount of time on their 2007's debut "Small Steps, Heavy Hooves" they have seriously racked up some miles on the road with "Straylight Run," "The Color Fred," "Jimmy Eat World," "Paramore," and "Mae." All that time on the road has influenced their work on sophomore album "Drunk Like Bible Times."

This album not only touts one of the best album title names ever, but also has some of the best spaced out folk anthems this side of Modest Mouse. Lead singer Ian Metzger effortlessly moves from quiet reflective moments about home and love to a booming baritone to moments of almost shouting in songs "If Not For My Glasses" and "I'm Not Crying, You're Not Crying, Are You?"

Backed by a band full of quirks including handclaps, wandering basslines, and drums that plow along like a train across the Great Plains, the music sounds full and developed - evidence that the songs are created by a few likeminded people that have spent a lot of time on the road together. In the end that is what makes this album work: the feeling of united musicianship caused by a lifetime on the road.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 10/10/08