Grand Champeen – Dial T For This
On its fourth album, Grand Champeen stretches out a bit from its usual scrappy, Twin Tone-influenced heartland rock with more accomplished playing and a little less slop; strings and piano are even added. It adds up to probably their best album. Singer Channing Lewis’ sing-alongs such as “Nice of You To Join Us” and “To The Ides” bring to mind a southern Guided By Voices. “Cites On The Plain” and “Rottweiler Hair”, written by bassist Alex Livingstone, are among the best songs on the record, but his “Olivia”, the closing track, is a little too much of a departure. The charming “Wounded Eye” shows the range of Lewis’ voice, which isn’t great, but something about his sweet drawl and screech method is hard to deny.