Album Reviews : My Dynamite – My Dynamite

Over the last Melbourne-based My Dynamite have been causing quite a stir with their energetic live shows and songs packed with enough electricity to power a small village. The question has always remained though; can they harness that raw energy in the studio and translate it onto record?

Fear not as My Dynamite has recently released their debut self-title album and if ever there was an Australian band that could pick up the rock mantle vacated by Jet, then this is it. Except for one blinding exception in that My Dynamite is a much more rounded and offers more than Jet ever did. In a perfect world My Dynamite would be all over the radio stations and scaling the lofty summits of rock. Onto the album itself, this is top-shelf classic rock and roll and could easily sit aside some of the best records dished up by The Black Crowes, early-era Aerosmith & The Rolling Stones. That may sound like a big call, but it really does sound like a record any combination of those bands could have released and been proud of.

If you like your rock raw, dirty, and with more hooks than Rex Hunt’s tackle box, then stop reading right now and get your hands on this album ASAP as there is no way you’ll be disappointed. Before a note is even played, you can take one look at the cover and know what you are going to get. A black and white photo, with a paisley shirted front man, and intricate artwork surrounding the band name……. Yep, this is going to be a ballsy, blues-driven, rock record right from the outset.

Clocking in at 10 tracks and just over 40 minutes the band treads familiar territory and wears their influences on their collective sleeve. Tracks like the opening trio of “Take it or Leave it”, “Inside Out” and “If We’re Livin” immediately make two things very clear which set the direction for the rest of the disc.  Firstly the vocals of Pat Carmody bring to mind some of Chris Robinson’ best work. Carmody’s voice sounds like it’s been dipped into a vat of bourbon and dragged through a pile of gravel. If I had to sum it up in one word, then it would definitely be “soulful”. Carmody’s voice is perfectly complimented by the excellent interplay of guitarists Jorge Balas and Benny Wolf. In the finest classic rock tradition, My Dynamite have taken to recording the guitar tracks on separate channels in the mix so what you hear coming from the left is not the same riff as on the right but it works so dammed well.

For a reference point think Guns N’ Roses on “Appetite for Destruction”, Black Crowes “Shake Your Money Maker”, and Aerosmith “Rocks”. The riffs sound great when you hear them in isolation but they sound perfect when listened to together.As mentioned, some familiar ground is covered here but that doesn’t matter in the slightest as it is done so well. One of the standout tracks that grabs you from first listen (well they ALL do but this one a little more so) is “Raise Your Glasses”. With its very infectious groove and sing-a-long chorus this is destined to be a favorite at any My Dynamite gig and should be on everyone play list if this is your kind of style. This is followed by another standout track and possibly the highlight (for me) in “Singing Stormy Weather”. Here we have a track that slows things down considerably from the frantic opening tracks. Instead it replaces the toe-tapping groove of earlier songs with a bluesy, soul-soaked track featuring some of the finest guitar interplay between Balas and Wolf where each is given his chance to shine.

In all honesty there isn’t really a “bad” track on this album. If I had to be real picky the only flaw I could possibly find about this album is that after listening to it quite a few times is that this sounds like something I have heard numerous times before from the likes of the bands mentioned earlier. But the main points to note there are that firstly being compared to bands like The Black Crowes, Stones, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin is in no way a bad thing….and to be honest My Dynamite do make a good fist of only taking the best from those bands and putting their own spin on it. The other thing to note is that even though it sounds familiar, that does not mean it gets stale. It’s an album you can easily listen to quite a few times (I already have) and every time you’ll pick up on a riff, a lead, a vocal line, a groove that you didn’t hear beforehand.

To sum it all up. Seeing as this is a metal site, Is it a “metal” album? No…Is it pushing new boundaries? Not really…Is it one of the finest rock n roll records you are likely to hear this year” Yes….Will it get you in the mood to party, drink, tap your feet, and shake your ass? Damn Straight it will! 8.5/10

Artist: My Dynamite
Album: My Dynamite
Year: 2012
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Genre: Classic Bluesy Rock n Roll
Label: Listenable Records (France)

Tracklisting:

1. Take It or Leave It
2. Inside Out
3. If We’re Living
4. Dirty Game
5. Watch Yourself Grow
6. Raise Your Glasses
7. Singing Stormy Weather
8. Big Attraction
9. All That She Brings
10. Fork in Your Tongue