Search - The Dudley Corporation :: The Lonely World of The Dudley Corporation

Sounds "Lonely"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 09/30/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It just goes to show that not all Irish rock is as broodingly catchy as the Corrs, or as fun as the Thrills. Irish power-trio the Dudley Corporation churns out lifeless rock reminiscent of the Wedding Present in "The Lonely World of the Dudley Corporation," which you've heard -- and it was better in the early nineties.



Sleepy vocals and a vibrating guitar riff kick it all off, followed by some thick bass and monotonous guitar in songs like the catchy "One in a Squillion," fluttery and screamy "Divil the Bit," and countryishly dull "Stutter." A softer sound comes into the too-soft-to-hear "Quiet," and the sleepy "She Falls." But then it's back to some mild rock, none of it terribly engaging.



There's no real arrangement to "Lonely World" -- the Dudley Corporation strings the quieter songs along with the rockers, with no apparent order in mind. And none of the songs really stand out musically -- you might remember a few things about the darker, dirgelike ballads, but the actual melody will escape you.



Frontman Dudley Colley is also the lead guitar player, and he's competant but not great. At times it feels like he's in a loop. Bassist Pip Moore shows some flexibility at times, revving up his sound for the faster songs and then slowing the tempo for a ballad. Unfortunately, his basslines don't emerge very often. Joss Moorkens does the best, with his rapid drumbeats that sometimes take over the song.



Colley's voice is okay -- though he sounds drugged and a bit hoarse, his singsongy vocals are competant. Unfortunately, that drugged sound seems to drag down the music and sap it of life. But the songwriting is actually pretty good. Whoever wrote these babies came up with some memorable lines like "Then she asks me to be her blanket/I pull her closer and watch her sleep."



There's nothing too great about the Dudley Corporation's debut album, although there's nothing too terrible either. But the unoriginal sound and lack of energy make it below par."