Archive Review: The Damnwells’ PMR+1 (2003)

It would be too damn easy to dismiss the Damnwells as a mere Wilco clone, given the band’s penchant for mournful vocals and weeping guitars. The truth is, although the seven songs on this EP skew awfully close to Jeff Tweedy’s artistic vision, the Damnwells throw a few disparate elements into the mix, barely separating themselves from the alt-country legends. 

For one thing, the Damnwells fill their guitar pop with traces of psychedelic instrumentation, the brightly shining guitar of Dave Chernis adding swirls of texture behind Alex Dezen’s appropriately morose vocals. The rhythm section of bassist Ted Hudson and former Whiskeytown drummer Steven Terry are solid, if underutilized. 

The band’s songwriting tends to lean towards Tweedy’s minimalist lyricism and, lacking the Wilco frontman’s ability to create emotional architecture, the Damnwells come across as less-interesting travelers on an already familiar road. The band should emphasize the aspects that elevate their sound, allowing themselves greater freedom with its instrumentation and pumping up Dezen’s vocals. 

Pmr + 1 is a 2002 reissue of an earlier six-song disc self-produced by the Damnwells, so they may have already outgrown their Wilco fascination and moved onto something else entirely. The Damnwells are worth keeping an eye on just to see what they do next. (In Music We Trust, released 2002)

Review originally published by Jersey Beat music zine...