Bricks and Blackouts

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Bricks and Blackouts
Studio album by
Gaunt
ReleasedMarch 24, 1998[1]
StudioPachyderm
GenrePunk rock
LabelWarner Bros.[2]
ProducerBrian Paulson, Gaunt, Tim Mac[3]
Gaunt chronology
Kryptonite
(1996) 		Bricks and Blackouts
(1998)

Bricks and Blackouts is an album by the American band Gaunt, released in 1998.[4][5] The album was not promoted by Warner Brothers Records, due to huge layoffs in their marketing division.[6] Gaunt supported the album with a North American tour.[7]

It was Gaunt's final album; in January 2001, frontman Jerry Wick died while riding his bike.[8]

Production[edit]

The album was produced in part by Brian Paulson.[9] It was recorded at Pachyderm Studio, in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.[10] While the band's sound was poppier than in the past, the lyrics reflected the difficult year the band endured prior to the recordings sessions.[11] "Dancin' When You're Down" employs a horn section.[12]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Chicago Tribune[14]
Pitchfork6.6/10[15]
Reno Gazette-Journal[12]

The Chicago Reader thought that "the shrieking rage that fueled the earlier records has either dissipated or been groomed away; if Bricks and Blackouts achieves nothing else, perhaps it will dispel the pernicious myth that Warner Brothers is an artist-friendly label."[16] CMJ New Music Monthly opined that Gaunt possessed "an innate understanding that copies nothing but examines various elements, in the process creating something hard, passionate and timeless."[17] The Plain Dealer declared that Gaunt "may tear through short songs like punks with no tomorrow, but their attention to melodic detail bears the unavoidable influence of the mainstream rock that rules the airwaves in [the Midwest]."[18]

The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel wrote: "Recycling AC/DC riffs through a squall of digital noise—modem beeps and so forth—Gaunt counts up suburbia's casualties in the information age."[19] The Washington Post called the album "excellent," writing that Wick "writes fast, melodic, punchy songs in the tradition of the Saints and Superchunk."[6] Miami New Times thought that "'Mixed Metals' and 'Don't Tell' chart the remarkable growth of Gaunt as a band and Wick as one of the underground's best songwriters."[3]

AllMusic wrote that the album "has a shaky foundation and too many songwriting and production lapses to complete its potential."[13]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Anxiety" 
2."97th Tear" 
3."Mixed Metals" 
4."Different Drum Machine" 
5."Glitter" 
6."Bricks and Blackouts" 
7."Pop Song" 
8."Don't Tell" 
9."Maybe in the Next World" 
10."Far Away" 
11."Duh" 
12."Powder Keg Variety" 
13."On Fire" 
14."Honor Roll" 
15."Dancin' When You're Down" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Martin, Richard (1998) "Gaunt", CMJ New Music Monthly, June 1998, p. 9. Retrieved June 17, 2014
  2. ^ "Gaunt Singer/Guitarist Dead at 33". MTV News.
  3. ^ a b Floyd, John (August 20, 1998). "Seven Inches to Salvation". Music. Miami New Times.
  4. ^ "Gaunt Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Davidson, Eric (September 6, 2010). We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879309725 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b Porter, Christopher (19 Aug 1998). "Gaunt's Late, Late Late Show". The Washington Post. p. D3.
  7. ^ Farber, Jim (24 Apr 1998). "Gaunt Coney Island High". New York Now. Daily News. New York. p. 65.
  8. ^ Beck, Aaron (January 18, 2001). "Local Bands Will Play Memorial for Wick". Weekender. The Columbus Dispatch. p. 9.
  9. ^ Soeder, John (March 22, 1998). "Gaunt Goes Major, Retains Its Edge". The Plain Dealer. p. 11I.
  10. ^ Beck, Aaron (May 17, 1998). "Big Sky, Big Deal". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 1F.
  11. ^ Ferguson, Jon (17 Apr 1998). "A year of bad luck leads Gaunt to good music". Happenings. Intelligencer Journal. p. 2.
  12. ^ a b Earnest, Mark (26 Apr 1998). "Gaunt 'Bricks and Blackouts'". Calendar. Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 17.
  13. ^ a b "Bricks and Blackouts". AllMusic.
  14. ^ Ryan, Mo (27 Mar 1998). "Album reviews". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 47.
  15. ^ Mirov, Nick. "Gaunt: Bricks and Blackouts: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2001-06-29. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  16. ^ Jones, J. R. (May 7, 1998). "Gaunt". Chicago Reader.
  17. ^ Roberts, Randall (Apr 1998). "Best New Music". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 56. p. 12.
  18. ^ Soeder, John (March 23, 1998). "Gaunt Hits the 'Bricks and Blackouts' Trail". The Plain Dealer. p. 2E.
  19. ^ "One-Syllable Names Often One Two Many". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
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