dredg "The Pariah, Parrot, Delusion"

So this is the album that is truly their own. The deal with Interscope was up and The PPD is released on the band's label. This is what I so anxiously waited for? They previewed a couple of tracks on their stop at The Social in support of the Live @ Fillmore release, and they sounded pretty good. But as much as I hate to say it, this album is a letdown from the previous two albums. 2005's Catch Without Arms is possibly one of my favorite albums of this century. The PPD still has the lush, dreamy auralscape I enjoyed before, but it doesn't have the same song quality as Catch, or even El Cielo. This album seems to compromise the band's epic power for a little more mainstream approach. Maybe this album will pull in some more radio airplay (and with it fans). They just came through town as a support act for Rx Bandits, I think, and that may add to their fan base as well. They are an impressive live show. I'm still adding The PPD to my collection, and I'm going to give it one last spin through some headphones before putting it away, but I doubt I will ever reach for it before Catch.