Dexter Freebish
Tripped Into Divine (Sixthman) Used to be that your favorite local act made great indie music, got signed to a major label, recorded an accessible album too edgy for the corporate parents, and then got dropped. Soon, they resurfaced back on the edge, and made promising music again. Austin’s Dexter Freebish decided to ignore tradition and ignore the majestic pop they used to write, and instead made a bore of a new album. Tripped Into Divine couldn’t be less exciting if it tried, and it seldom tries much of anything. A band that was great at making Euro-psychedelia with a warm, California pop shine has now devolved into the latest Train/Matchbox Twenty clone. What’s more, adding a sense of poetry to the proceedings only gets them into more trouble. First-name-only lead singer Kyle attempts just that on the already hackneyed anti-beauty anthem “Pretty People”: “Green light, green light, please don’t turn yellow, ’cause if you do, you know I’ll step down on that pedal.” Just as Tripped Into Divine trips into mediocrity, the album’s best moment arrives with “Save Me,” a stunning song that proves the band still has the energy that penned their 2000 mainstream hit “Leaving Town.” Otherwise, the album hits the right notes only half of the time. It’s a shame to hear a once mighty Austin band flounder with such modern rock conventions. Instead of “Leaving Town,” they’ve left their strength and talents behind, but hopefully they’ll come back to visit.
This article appears in February 27 • 2004.