Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 Reviewer: Nathan Atnikov |
The Dojo Workhorse’s self-described “soft rock” is proof that there’s still room for a little emotion in rock and roll. Led by Dan Vacon, the band drives straight through to your heart with their earnest R&B-infused rock, ignoring the call of the disaffected rock star.
Weapons Grade Romantic doesn’t waste time in stating its case – opener ‘You Heartbreaker’ features sweet, moving horns and call-and-response lyrics. Like many of the songs here, it deals in heartbreak and loneliness, but the tone is warm and inviting. ‘I Got Life’ and ‘Universe’ branch out into religion and science, bridging the two instead of finding them at odds – much the same way that the album explores the coexistence of heartache and happiness. The album slows at the midway point, with ‘Laval Street’ teetering on the edge of becoming too saccharine, but it’s reeled back perfectly with the harmonica-infused ‘New Years Eve.’
The Dojo Workhorse don’t litter the album with unnecessarily complex arrangements, ironic synthesizers or overly self-aware smarminess. What it features is warmth and heart. It’s an exercise in finding strength in uncertainty and shrugging off cosmic pain with a smile. Weapons Grade Romantic will stand up with anything else released this year.
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