The Lonely World Of...

Dublin-based band the Dudley Corporation has been called the salvation of Irish rock and with the American release of their 2001 debut, The Lonely World of the Dudley Corporation, they have a crack at conquering the world as well. The album was recorded at Chemikal Underground in Glasgow and was released in fall 2002 on the U.S. label Flameshovel. Combining the discordant repetition of Sonic Youth and the off-kilter melodies of Stephen Malkmus and Polvo's Ash Bowie, the band offers a rollicking, "that's what was good about the '90s" album of noise pop. The Lonely World progresses from bolstering math rock through a land of watery ballads and ends with a handful of triumphant, Mogwai-like slow-burn end songs. Openers "Score" and "One in a Squillion" utilize the Weezer-like falsetto and Swirlies-style buildups of noise and brash drums. The stop-start rock falls into ironic balladry like "She Falls" and "A Song Against the City," the highlight of this song type being "Quick," which features cello by Alan Barr of the Delgados. The slow drum intro of the finale, "The Out Song," recalls the straight-man setups of Bedhead, launching into a guitar-swelching soar into the last notes. With a good U.S. indie pastiche and Dudley Colley's excellent, soft yearning vocals, they could easily become a staple of the world noise pop scene.