Genre: rock
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: 2 x 4
Company: Elektra
Catalog: 60752-1
Year: 1987
Country/State: Marietta, Georgia
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: --
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5063
Price: $9.00
Cost: $2.00
Folks mistakenly label this Georgia-based quartet as being part of the Athens musical mafia responsible for the likes of Don Dixon, Let's Active, and R.E.M. They've got the right state, but wrong city since Guadalcanal Diary roots are in Marietta, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta).
Produced by Don Dixon, 1987's "2 x 4" is a great (if largely unknown) album. With Attaway and Walls responsible for the majority of the material, tracks such as 'Litany (Life Goes On)', 'Under the Yoke' and 'Get Over It' offer up a near perfect combination of spirited jangle rock, shimmering harmony vocals and entertaining lyrics. Propelled by John Poe's snarling drums and Murray Attaway and Jeff Walls dual guitars, it's a much heavier release that their earlier releases. That's good news since, at least for me the album works on two levels. Musically it's got some great melodies that are perfect fodder for popping into a car CD on a bright sunny day. At the same time the band's sometimes dark and disturbing lyrics constantly leave me scratching my head as to their meaning. Check out 'Little Birds' and the harrowing '3 am'. It's probably the quartet's most commercial, consistent and enjoyable release and definitely worth lookin' for..
"2 x 4" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Litany (Life Goes On) (Murray Attaway) - 3:41
2.) Under the Yoke (Jeff Walls) - 4:28
3.) Get Over It (Murray A ttaway - Rhett Crowe) - 3:00
4.) Little Birds (Murray Attaway) - 3:57
5.) Things Fall Apart (Murray Attaway - John Poe - Jeff Walls) - 2:44
6.) Let the Big Wheel Roll (Jeff Walls) - 2:40
(side
2)
1.) Where Angels Fear To Tread (Jeff Walls) - 3:13
2.) New Born (Murray Attaway) - 4:41
3.) Windz of Change (Jeff Walls) -2 :55
4.) Say Please (Murray Attaway) - 2:10
5.) 3 am (Murray Attaway - Jeff Walls) - 4:12
6.) Lips of Steels (Murray Attaway - Jeff Walls) - 2:19