Grand Champeen: Dial T for This

In their press materials, Grand Champeen comes off as obssessed with their authenticity, emphasizing their avoidance of technology and their disdain for manufactured producted. Such comments are bound to turn off the popists (unless that debate’s been resolved) and seem to miss the point, which is that the band has written a bunch of good songs for their newest release, Dial T for This. The band doesn’t break any sonic ground, but they maintain a quality level of guitar rock that’s as fit for the little bar as for the bigger stage. While the old Replacements comparisons still apply, the band owes as much to early Wilco on tracks like “Wounded Eye”. With sharp songs, Grand Champeen does a nice job of maintaining excitement without ever letting themselves go over the top, resulting in some basic but strong rock ‘n’ roll.