The Scenics: Dead Man Walks Down Bayview

Reunions are always a tricky thing to deal with; more than often they offer the rockiest of terrains for those involved. The Scenics seem to have navigated theirs with relative ease and have emerged with new material after releasing a Velvet Underground tribute record. Dead Man Walks Down Bayview sees them restoring their creative powers and ending a 33-year drought of no original material. Thirty three years is a lot of time to pick up new tricks and filter new influences, which are very evident and make the band better. This is some of their strongest material in terms of composition, but it does lack some of the vitality and immediacy of their earlier work. In short: today’s Scenics are a different band than yesterday’s Scenics. This is a band that deserves to be heard.