Anchored by buzzsaw guitars straight out of Raw Power, heartfelt politically charges lyrics and a driving rythm section, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires play fire and brimstone rock and roll that's punishing, provocative and southern as fuck. Dereconstructed is both a love letter and vicious take down of southern culture as Bains obviously loves where he's from and is frustrated by so many of the things that occur there. Being from Minnesota I don't fully comprehend everything he's singing about but his passion and the power of the songs still ring true.

Musically the Glory Fires attack your eardrums with guitars turned to eleven and punishing riffs that are impossible to not be bowled over by. "The Kudzu and the Concrete," "Flags," Burnpiles, Swimming Holes" and "We Dare Defend Our Rights" are straightforward rockers fueled by punk rock energy but intricate enough to satisfy fans of more technical fare. The groove orientated tracks ("The Weeds Downtown," "Mississippi Bottomland," "Dirt Track") are no less intense but do allow for a bit of breathing room. The albums masterpiece is the opening "The Company Man" which features the prominent Stooges type spirit and also Bains' most soulful vocals on the album.

Dereconstructed is a furious, fiery album. Were it not for the vocals, “The Weeds Downtown” could pass for a mid-tempo Dinosaur Jr. number, and opener “Company Man” kicks off with a blistering barrage of guitars. Having Tim Kerr producing certainly doesn’t hurt and ties this to a whole lineage of stripped-down, blistering punk rock combos. Whether the group is raging from the outset or heading into slightly more pastoral territory, there’s a howl present. Whether that comes from Bains’ voice or the guitars that he and Eric Wallace play depends on the song.    

The album also signifies “Southern.”  It brings to mind friends in punk bands who’d cite Creedence’s “Ramble Tamble” as an influence and would cue it up to the nodding of heads. The wailing harmonica on “Mississippi Bottomland” is probably the apex of this particular aspect of the band’s sound. Also, the fact that the song is called “Mississippi Bottomland” marks it as territory that bands from upstate New York don’t usually venture into.

As the album’s title suggests, Bains et al don’t shy away from history. Though musically visceral, the album’s lyrics are particularly vital as they cycle through history and religion. Here, the Bible becomes both a way to avoid the horrific errors of history and a means for lashing out. “You can talk, talk, talk about it/ Repentance and forgiveness/And loving your neighbor as yourself/ But what the hell does that mean/ When your neighbors all look the same/ And think the same,” Bains sings on “The Kudzu and the Concrete.” Dereconstructed poses a challenge and stands defiant, and it works surprisingly well as the unexpected convergence of a number of long-running cultural traditions.

Feed your soul some real rock n' roll. 

New video "The Company Man" from Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. 

Purchase the new album here:

Looking for a soundtrack to start a revolution?

You may want to take a mighty hard listen to the new Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires album "Dereconstructed". From the growl of Lee's SG and soulful voice increasingly calling out "tell me why" on the debut single "Company Man" over a huge and glorious rock n' roll sound that reminds me of a The Who album. This is an album that calls out what is wrong with our system.

Hear the poets and professors

Postulate how we all got so robbed.

All it takes is one wicked heart, a pile of money,

And a chain of folks just doing their jobs.

This is an album to light a fire and it has the fuel to let it burn. With that fire comes empowerment. The power to rethink and relearn what was ingrained into us and to pass those new lessons learned on. That's a beautiful thing y'all. That's what I pull from "Dereconstructed" at least.

We were whooped with the Good Book,

Wound up shamed, sorry and worse.

But I yearned to burn the wrath out of every chapter,

And water the love in every verse.

Water the love in every verse.

The same could be said about the self inventory "The Kudzu & The Concrete" poses to Southern communities.

You can talk, talk, talk about it:

Repentance, and forgiveness,

And loving your neighbor as yourself.

But what the hell does that mean

When all your neighbors look the same,

And think the same,

Or else live a couple miles

Down the rural route?

I'm an obvious, and self admitted lyric quoter. Can an album sound great and have hollow words? I suppose so, it's obvious on a lot of radio and music awards ceremonies. It doesn't hold weight around this camp. I want those lines that stir things. That make you take a deeper look.

So, gather around all ye wicked ones who wouldn't touch the stuff you're selling.

Come all y’all shallow-chested cowards who wheeze with pleas for proof.

Granddaddy taught unto me the difference between telling a story and storytelling:

One is bearing false witness; the other is baring more truth than the truth.

Music is powerful. Especially when laced lyrically with substance and truths. Things like that are what makes songs like "What's Good And Gone" drive that point home. I don't have a song on this album I can say I dislike. "Mississippi Bottomland" is another favorite track of mine on this album.

This is a solid album. How solid? So solid in fact that if the Northeast has Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires may damn well be the South's answer. Let that hang in the air for a second y'all.

Dig, score the album here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dereconstructed/id820652788

Go show LB3 & The Glory Fires some well deserved love over on Twitter & Facespace.

P.S.

Lee, you guys come back to Texas. I promise you ain't too loud for us.

Still doubting? Watch this video of Lee on his porch playing "The Company Man" solo. You're welcome....

http://vimeo.com/96523112