If there is one story that never needs to be written again, it’s the “Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of” story. It’s played out, its cliché, and, well, you are about to read another one.
Unfortunately for pretty much everybody, Centro-matic is one of those important bands that you’ve probably never heard of. And it’s even less likely that you know them by their alter-ego recording name, South San Gabriel.
The two names are hardly more than a label for the packaging; the bands feature the same four core members. In the past the band has opted to release albums under one name or the other (at least 12 combined), with Centro-matic efforts usually featuring a more straight forward, alt-country influenced indie rock sound. But, on 2008’s Dual Hawks, the group produced a double album, setting aside one disc for each alias.
If Will Johnson is anything, he is an inexhaustible songwriter. The guitarist and vocalist is the driving force behind both groups (not to mention a few solo releases). While it might be established that his work does not break out of the standards held to alt-country or the contemporary indie rock world, it is clear that Johnson and his mates have not only found a signature sound, but they completely own it. Predictably, the Denton, TX native comes through on both sides of Dual Hawks.
Drive-By Truckers front man (co-front man perhaps) Patterson Hood has dropped the terms “best band” and “my favorite band” when speaking of Centro-matic many times, and coming from another of today’s most prolific and consistent songwriters, it is a mighty endorsement. That moniker’s side of Dual Hawks kicks off with “The Rat Patrol and DJs,” a mid-paced rocker that sets the tone for a set of nostalgic-tinged songs that seem to rely on each other, both in theme and pace, creating the seamless listening experience that Johnson has perfected with both bands.
The catchiest tune on either side is “Twenty-four,” a swinger filled with handclaps, shakers, and Scott Danbom’s charming piano and harmony work. Johnson is typically introspective—“Well, I never felt this way at twenty-four/ With the fiends and ghouls and darkness at my door”— but adds some salt to the narrative: “There are cowards that our public has elected/ Killers, thieves and things that I could never be/ And I never claimed perfection, but seriously.”
Both sides demonstrate what is perhaps Johnson’s great asset: like other prolific writers before him (take Springsteen or even Tom Petty as examples), Johnson has surrounded himself with talented and tasteful musicians who serve his songs wholly. Multi-instrumentalists Mark Hedman and Danbom share bass, guitar, and keyboard duties, with Danbom providing high harmonies.
Most impressive is drummer Matt Pence. Pence, who also produced and recorded Dual Hawks, provides a backbone to the music that never waivers. His erratic fills occasionally bring to mind Weezer’s Patrick Wilson—if a country-rock outfit had intercepted him before he landed with Rivers Cuomo. But the comparison ends there, as Pence keeps things fairly low-key throughout, employing a modest approach right in line with Johnson’s songs.
On the South San Gabriel side of Dual Hawks, Johnson stays in step with this projects previous two albums, both masterpieces of melancholy indie-rock. That said, don’t expect the electric guitars from the Centro-matic side to be replaced by acoustics and orchestral strings. Pence still brings out his full drum-kit, along with some programmed beats, and the amplifiers are still in place for most of this album.
Songs like the stringy and slow opener “Emma Jane” and “The Arc And The Cusp” are emblematic of the dark-yet-all-is-not-lost mood of the album. And with only a few of Johnson’s a cappella moments, Dual Hawks flows well from melancholy to near-gloom, swiping at all other emotions between around those two.
Yes, Centro-matic is a band that you should know. A foray into the back-catalogue of either of Johnson’s projects is well worth the time, but Dual Hawks is a fine place to start.
