On The Verge

Dolorean

Portland, Ore.
Still Unfazed After All These Years
www.doloreanmusic.com

“I lost an extremely rare white label Caribou Records sampler LP that had two Dennis Wilson tracks on it: ‘River Song’ and ‘You and I,’” remembers Dolorean frontman Al James when asked about the most cherished possession he has ever lost in a breakup with an ex, and echoing the jilted sentiments of “Country Clutter,” the lead single off the group’s brilliant new album, The Unfazed. “When we divided up the LPs, she took it; but a couple years later, she came around and made the effort to contact me and give it back.” The penetrating song, however, was written “for a friend who was going through a rough patch and needed some powerful words to say,” according to James whose erudite, working class lyricism offers a refreshing spin on the rustic slowcore Americana that he’s crafted for nearly a decade. It’s a sound that owes as much to the late, great Mr. Wilson as it does to Will Oldham, Mark Eitzel and Neil Young at his starkest. “It helps in understanding and being at peace with the various dichotomies that we live with and create with,” he explains. “If you ignore what’s going on around you and in the lives of those that are close to you, then I think you’d have a hard time creating or communicating anything genuine.”