Real World [Us Import] [Import]

I'll admit that when I first heard many of the songs on "Real World," I was apprehensive. Quite a few were questionable, made more so by the sheer brilliance of the country-influenced "Come Back Home" and the sweet tone of "Please" (how many weddings will that one show up at?). The album is uneven, I'll admit; but it's made uneven precisely because so many of the songs on it are so well-written that they make songs like "Say It's So" and "Happy" seem like poor imitations of the Dubs rather than the real thing.

This was my first impression. Now that I'd had the CD on random play nonstop since getting the last copy at my local store, I'm beginning to see the wisdom of these "lesser" songs. Any band out there - Great Big Sea, Waterboys, even U2 - would be thrilled with this album. If U2 had put this out rather than the two-single potential of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," it would have rivaled "Joshua Tree." It's *that good.* The technical aspects of each song are a marked improvement over some of the more awkward stylistic elements found in "Red" and to some extent "Alive Alive O'." I'm a sucker for bass, and Bren's bass has never been better - check out the bass lead on the (of course) instrumental "Banshee." And there's a rerecord of an old Dubs favorite called "Confusion." This is the first studio cut of the song, which I always considered to be the Achilles heel of "Alive Alive O'" until I heard what they did to it in the studio. I'm not a fan of heavy production - but in this case the rerecord has made it into a very different song, and moved it into some positive areas quality-wise.

There really isn't a poor song on the record, and my initial misgivings have dissipated with repeated listenings. It was a *good* CD before, but a *great* CD like this one introduces new elements in successive listening; there are certainly things I'm still noticing about a few songs I've heard a million times over the past few months.

I'd give it more of a 4.5 out of 5 if it were an option; this isn't the best Dubs album in my opinion, but the technical elements blow the others to shame. If you're going to wade in slowly, I'd suggest starting with "Please," "Come Back Home," "OK," and "Confusion." It makes a good introduction to the Dubs for anyone coming from a rock background ("Breathe" is better for the more traditional types, but admittedly we are in the minority).

This is the best yet for the Young Dubs. "Real World" is an album that soars from the opening fiddle and drum intro all the way through dark guitar riffs of "Confusion". Songs like "Real World", "Touch the Sky", "OK", "Say its So" and "Evermore" signify the ascendency of the Young Dubs to the pinnacle of the Celtic rock genre and their transcendence of it. This is no niche market production, it is straight ahead rocknroll that just happens to use some traditional Celtic tunes and instrumentation. The recording is so tight and so well mixed it actually captures the intensity and energy of their renowned live show which is where the Dubs shine.

Keith Robert's vocals and lyrics are poignant and raucous all at once. Bob Boulding's guitars rip through song after song literally shredding the ears in "OK", a brilliantly written social critique with classic punk rock edge. With each listen I can smell the smoke rising off Chas Waltz's fiddle as he reels off some of the best bow-work ever especially in "Waxies Dargle". The foundation of this album however is what separates it from the pack. Dave Ingraham's drums and Brendan Holmes' bass are solid bedrock and the recording shows-off their thunder. Dave's driving rhythms and Brendan's melodic fretwork ground every track, especially when they put Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull through a workout in "Banshee".

As a body of work this is one of the most emotionally and intellectually mature recordings in the recent history of rocknroll, right up there with U2's "Atomic Bomb", seriously. The tracks on Real World conquer politics, war, grief and relationships with all the passion and enthusiasm of band that is in their prime. If you don't buy this CD you will be missing one rockin good time, so do yourself a favor and check it out.

When I was first invited to a local concert, tagged with the words "sort of punk, sort of rock, sort of celtic", I was skeptical. However, the celtic part of the description intrigued me, so I came on to Amazon and looked the band up. Real World was the first album listed, so I figured I'd take a quick listen to see if I'd be interested in going to the show. With the opening of the title track, I was hooked. I immediately said "ok, let's go" and we headed out to the show. When I think back now how close I was to missing an incredible show - I almost kick myself.

From the first moment the dubs came on stage, I was entranced with their sound - starting with Dave's hypnotising drums. I've never seen someone so ... mellow produce such a thrashing good rhythm. Brendan's bass is rock solid...in a fluid way. Bob is a chameleon as his guitar produces such a variety of intriguing sound textures and patterns. Chas's rip-roaring fiddle has you dancing in spite of yourself. (hilarious to see how many hairs were hanging off the bow even after the first song - he must have to restring that thing every other show!) And Keith's strong vocals aren't even a match for his charisma and energy. If you ever have a chance to get to a dubs show, DO IT!

If you can't get to a show, get this album! If you *can* get to a show, get this album anyway! It was well worth the cost and has a great variety of sounds, moods, energies, and textures to entertain the most fickle of audiences. Thank goodness I clicked on the Real World link to decide if I wanted to go to the show! After the show, I bought Real World. Since listening to the CD nonstop for at LEAST four months, I waited and waited to hear when they were coming back to Fairbanks. I found out at the last minute (the day of the first show - and day before the last show) the dubs had returned (a year later) and couldn't contain my excitement. Imagine how lack luster and empty my life would be if I hadn't been introduced to the dubs! (Hey, I do live in Fairbanks, Alaka after all!) This album gets me through those long Alaska winter days. :)