Din
The High End
© 2003 Din, Din-The High End (634479098826)
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An eclectic array of pop rock songs driven by keyboards and crunchy guitars.
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Din was formed in early 2000 as a trio and included Glenn Steadman (Urban Squirrel) on guitar, John Gulizia (Moving Targets; The Feel) on drums, and Carlene Barous on bass. Glenn, John and Carlene recorded their debut album, Oleo, at New Alliance Studios in Boston in 2001 with producer Eric Brosius (Tribe). In 2002 Din acquired rock guitarist Bart LoPiccolo (Scatterfield) and in 2003 went into the studio again to record their second album The High End, a 7-song EP produced by Dave Minehan. This album showcased Din's evolving style which departed from its much loved rip-your-head-off punk pop, and introduced a rock pop feel driven by keyboards, crunchy guitars, and a focus on Carlene and Glenn vocal leads and harmonies. In June 2004, Din added new drummer Bob Palumbo (Four on the Floor, The Still). Bob enabled Din's two primary songwriters, Glenn and Carlene, to prepare and deliver brand new material to live audiences, drawing on both the Oleo and The High End styles. Din's live performances are schizophrenically appealing - listeners hear the eclectic product of punk, rock, and pop colliding. Glenn's songwriting evokes X and Iggy Pop with his simple straight catchy alt rock. Carlene's songwriting is more swirly AM radio, motown meets a nor'easterner, Sheryl Crow joins Lush. Bart's nascent songwriting career so far had produced classic rawk vibrations. It's all good.
reviews
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I found myself latching onto their harmonic modern pop sound.
author: SoundCheck MagazineSoundCheck Magazine's July/Aug 2004 issue included a review by Debbie Catalano of Din's The High End: Well I know Din means “a loud continued noise” but really I think the band is selling themselves short if that’s what they think they are. After all, how can dreamy vocals such as those of co-lead vocalist and bassist Carlene Barous fronting alternative pop/rock songs or even the quirkier rockin’ feel of the other lead vocalist and guitarist Glenn Steedman’s songs be considered “noise.” No way. Din blend both vibes into one resulting in a seven-song collection that I admit took more than one listen before I “got” their groove – but once I did, I found myself latching onto their harmonic modern pop sound. Alluring, while holding their own as rockers, I’d like to see what a live show holds (note to Bob Palumbo – yeah, yeah, I know I had a chance and JUST missed one of your best shows! Next time…!). Oh and this was produced by Sir David Minehan at Wooly Mammoth Studios – a credit that always makes me pick up a CD to review.
Appealing and nostalgia-inducing indie and radio friendly 90's style music.
author: South of MainstreamThe Website publication South of Mainstream gave Din a review in March, 2004 - check it out!: If you're in your early thirties, like me, you might remember the early 90's, spent in dorm rooms or cheap student apartments, surrounded by friends while you listened to and discussed music. It was the time of the Breeders, Veruca Salt and rise and swell of Nirvana. Din's The High End reminds me of those college evenings, when we had time to really listen to the music. It's quite listenable and pleasant in a very nostalgia inducing fashion, despite its lack of real groundbreaking sound. Reminding folks of their late youth can't be bad, and Din delivers. The album kicks in with I'll Find A Way a track quite reminiscent of early Veruca Salt. The female vocals and the energetic guitar add to the resemblance, but there's also the same energetic pacing. The vocals still remind me of Veruca Salt on the second track, Hung, but the musical style takes a turn toward the power ballad. Although there's a definite early 90's modern rock vibe, there are also moments of older influence, bringing to mind Husker Du, and Bob Mould's later work with Sugar and as a solo artist, as well as a bit of the dark drama of the Jesus & Mary Chain. This is most definitely apparent when the male vocalist adds his spin on the third track, Genuine. The only tune that seems out of place is Crazy which for some strange reason comes across like a missing cut from a Dire Straits album. This is a recording that should appeal to those who listened to music, both truly indie and radio friendly in the early to mid-nineties. It has the punch of the time, and will bring a nostalgic smile to your face.
Anyone who loves the blend of tough guitars and ethereal melody should be attrac
author: The Boston PhoenixInterview in The Boston Phoenix, December 18, 2003, by Brett Milano: There was a time when Carlene Barous had no desire to step on stage. Her older sister Terri was the keyboardist in the popular local band Tribe, and she figured that one rocker in the family was enough. "Then Tribe disbanded and I thought, ‘Oh no. I don’t get to live vicariously anymore! Now I have to find something to do with my rock thing.’" She’s since become a member of the Paula Kelley Orchestra, where her keyboards and back-up vocals are a feature of the lush arrangements. But she’s also played for the past few years in the punk-pop band Din, who released their seven-song disc The High End this month on their own label. Anyone who loves the blend of tough guitars and ethereal melody should be attracted right away. With Barous and guitarist Glenn Steadman splitting the songwriting and ex-Neighborhoods leader David Minehan handling the production, it’s loud and emotive with gorgeous hooks. Although she’s a life-long Bostonian, Barous’s vocals have a touch of vintage California pop about them, and the romantic exuberance makes the opening "I’ll Find a Way" a grabber. "That’s the first song I ever wrote," she notes over the phone from Paris, where she’s on a business trip for the biotech company she works for. Although Din have a previous full-length disc, she didn’t write or sing lead on it; this time she gets four of the seven songs. "When I joined the band, I just wanted to play bass and be the background person - I auditioned and they accepted me, even though my playing was worse than shite. Writing songs probably came out of frustration - I sat down at the piano and came up with some chords that sounded lovely to me, and I had to find a way to bring that to the band." On one of her other tunes, she did let slip a lyric reference - "Thank you, Mr. Grieves" - that reveals her love for the Pixies. "Yeah, Glenn heard that and said, ‘You’re in trouble, you just plagiarized the Pixies.’ Which I probably did, but it was subconscious. I was probably saying something like, ‘Be grateful for your despair.’" The occasional Tribe resemblance is also hard to miss, not least because there are two Tribe sibs in the band (guitarist Bart LoPiccolo’s brother Greg was also a Tribe member). "If there was any influence on me, it came from adoring the fact that Terri got as far as she did. I started playing classical piano when I was seven, but I was never a frustrated rock musician or anything like that. It only started coming out when I hit that Britney Spears age - not a girl and not a woman."