2

2, the second album from Deep Reduction — a collaboration between Radio Birdman, guitar genius Deniz Tek, and Jack Chiara and Clyde McGeary of Tthe Stump Wizards — sounds a good bit more like Radio Birdman than the debut, and for a very good reason. Tek persuaded Birdman vocalist Rob Younger to join the group for these sessions, and if this isn't exactly Radios Appear all over again, the results capture more of the compelling sound and feel of that great band than this outfit managed the first time out. While the high-crunch punk onslaught "Two Words" and the charging guitar patterns of "I'm Gone" will doubtless register with fans of Tek and Younger's previous work, Deep Reduction also has a few other tricks up their sleeves on this set — the moody Byrds-ian pop of "Creosote," the surf-influenced darkness of "Maui Confidential," the smart and powerful "Black Tulip," and the blues-shot post-breakup angst of "The Ruins." As a songwriter, Jack Chiara proves he's more than up to the challenge of working with his heroes, while Tek and Younger sound very strong and quite lively for two guys who were kick-starting the Australian rock scene back in 1974. While the first Deep Reduction sounded like an interesting experiment (albeit one that was successful), 2 makes them sound a bit more like a band, and it's a band with smarts, muscle, and some great songs, and even if the name Radio Birdman means nothing to you, you'll want to give this a listen.