October 17 2008
Xavier Rudd — Dark Shades of Blue
posted by David Skipwith at 6:46 am
Xavier Rudd – Dark Shades of Blue SaltX Records / Universal
By David Skipwith
Xavier Rudd’s fifth studio album may surprise listeners accustomed to the earthy, roots-based sounds of his previous records. While those components are still evident, the songwriter/guitarist/multi instrumentalist produces a darker overall tone and a more ambitious distortion soaked style to balance out the world-music feel to his songs.
The album carries a range of moods and a variation in style as diverse as the influences of Ben Harper and Tool. Rudd’s trademark didgeridoo and Weissenborn slide guitar are as present as ever yet the dark rhythms and grooves add a tension that offsets the beauty present in his lighter tracks.
The Hendrix-inspired opening of the first track ‘Black Water’ is obvious while it is followed by the heavier, chugging riff of the title track, making Rudd’s rock-intent clear to all. The 12 tracks merge together well with strains of feedback and the percussion of Dave Tolley seamlessly fading one track into the next. It is in this less obvious vein that Dark Shades of Blue echoes Lateralus-era Tool with percussive subtleties and gentle strokes emphasising the bigger picture of the entire record, rather than any big pay-off in a single track.
Dark Shades of Blue was produced by Rudd and mixed by Joe Baressi (Kyuss, Melvins, Queens of the Stoneage); who no doubt helped to enhance the albums edgy, psychedelic rock qualities. Rudd’s intention was to create a bigger sound that reflected the intensity of his live performances; a progression hinted at on 2007’s White Moth. Of that album he says “I opened the door for the possibilities in the studio, and got a vibe for what I could do. On Dark Shades of Blue, I think we captured what we do live, the thickness of it, the tone. I think we finally achieved what I’ve always wanted to hear on my recordings.”
Several years of relentless touring and constant displacement had apparently worn on Rudd and these issues are explored lyrically on the new album. Taking time out, Rudd chose to settle in Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia to record. He maintains such environs helped ensure the album was not all glum and brooding, saying, “Even though it’s a darker album there’s brightness in the instruments, tonally, and I can hear the humidity in the didgeridoos, and in the guitar. I can hear that humidity, the warmth of the climate of Byron Bay.”
Such sincerity reinforces Rudd’s surfer-environmentalist-indigenous rights activist reputation, yet the depth and breadth of his sounds and styles remove him and Dark Shades of Blue from lacklustre comparisons to Jack Johnson or John Butler. Acknowledged and appreciated more abroad in Europe, the USA and of course across the ditch, than here in New Zealand, Xavier Rudd was among the highlights for those in attendance at the Coromandel Blues Festival earlier this year. Dark Shades of Blue provides plenty of incentive to get him back to our shores.