Keep It Reel is both the companion and reflection of the Dwarves excellent 2023 album Concept Album. While Concept certainly had Dwarves style nihilism, negativity, and revulsion at the state of humanity, it had a certain positivity at the top of the iceberg- sure, Dwarves aren’t the most famous band in the world, and they don’t get their props like they should, but some 40 years in, they are still making killer, killer albums and staying true to their core ethos more than almost any other band.
Well, every coin has two sides and Keep it Reel is aptly named- Concept looked at life in a perhaps romantic, or removed context, while Reel replies, “oh actually, a lot of life sucks… and I’m going to revel in it.” Opening track “One Musketeer” is a declaration of sorts, stating that Dwarves will always be one-of-a-kind and on their own road, even if deep down, secretively, they want mass acceptance. “Nobody Fucked You” is hardcore built on pop chassis wherein the band describes sex in an unusual context- One hand, the band is saying “we get laid all the time” and on the other, thet are saying, “yet the feeling behind it all is empty.” See that theme also in the paradoxically catchy new wave-y jumper “Parasite.” Hmmm…
The centerpiece of the record may very well be the best song they’ve ever released, or if not, definitely top 5. “I had a dream” is pulled from the tradition of howling blues while singer Blag Dahlia laments life’s choices while an organ cries alongside a wailing guitar. I am reminded of Nina Simone’s “sinner man” as a soul shaking earnesty and cosmic contemplation rumbles through the track. If you really look at the lyrics, you’ll see it’s probably Blag Dahlia’s most open-book selection to date. It’s interesting that Dwarves sometimes get denigrated as “only” being a hardcore and pop-punk band- as if mastering TWO genres that are littered with mediocrity amidst a few champions isn’t insanely impressive enough. But here, as the band steps outside of the punk sound completely and move directly into soul and blues, it is truly moving at how the band can craft a soul-shaker on par with the jazz-vocal legends.
The irony of Dwarves Concept Album was it wasn’t actually clear what the concept was… which in of itself is a concept. Sure, RUSH might write a record that describes in line by line detail about how some guy from the future finds a guitar and then gets beat up by future priests, complete with liner notes and explanation. But the Dwarves assume you are not that lazy and let you do the digging and connection. That onus, and work, becomes even more rewarding when Concept and Reel are paired side-by-side and connections and be found across all four sides… maybe some that the Dwarves themselves never intended to reveal…