Dwarves
Are Young and Good Looking (Recess)
by Duke Crevenator
What’s up with the Dwarves? Are these fancy produced harmonies I’m hearing? Snazzy samples segueing into the following track? Has someone stolen the band name from the legendary, brawling bad-ass Dwarves of yore? Apparently not, but if you’re expecting the Dwarves of years past you’re in for a shock. As a long-time fan, my initial reaction was a bitter one, until the second track “We Must Have Blood.” I quickly realized that the Dwarves may have matured in terms of production and musicianship, but spiritually, they have remained quite true to their roots. They appear to be on the same kind of track as fellow aging punkers the Queers – keeping the sense of humor of their early work, but with the vastly improved musical ability that comes with being around for so stinking long. I don’t think there is a throwaway track on this record, but the standouts are “You Gotta Burn,” “One Time Only,” and “Pimp.” The one complaint, and this goes for nearly all the punk releases I’ve heard lately, is that it’s VERY short. The total time is 39 minutes, with a good ten minutes or more of that being silence before the hidden track at the end of the disc. If I’m paying money for a disc, it’s a ripoff to get only half an hour, not to mention those absurd ten-minute silences before hidden tracks. This isn’t just a condemnation of the Dwarves, though; all these fucking bands should make their discs at least 40 minutes of real music. Shit, you can fit 74 minutes on a fucking CD, right?
It is always reassuring to know, however, that despite the well-produced tracks on this album, the Dwarves’ live appearances remain an exciting adventure. In April of this year, I had the pleasure of seeing them play in Lawrence, Kansas with hometown heroes Cocknoose. The show was at a club called the Outhouse, which sits in the middle of a cornfield, of all places. Unfortunately for the Dwarves, Cocknoose got the sold out crowd so riled up that they didn’t stand a chance.