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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Album What’s That Dude from Dazed and Confused Doing These Days?

Posted by Dave Segal on Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 6:10 PM

You know, Wiley Wiggins? The cat who also acted in Richard Linklater's classic Waking Life? He’s playing keyboards in Austin, Texas band Diagonals. They remind me of a less bloated Hold Steady, with more Rolling Stones than Bruce Springsteen in their record collections. (“Wizard Dome” is a pure “Brown Sugar” homage. "Suitcase Packed," though, recalls that one hit by the Call, for Christ's sake.) Diagonals’ riffs are lean, but the songs somehow attain a humble majesty. Singer Steve Garcia sounds like Richard Butler if the Psych Furs front man never smoked a cigarette in his life.

Diagonals’ Valley of the Cyclops came out Feb. 24 on Monofonus Press. It’s a real grower, a solid, if unspectacular, rock album. I can totally imagine Matador signing these guys at SXSW this year.

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Had no idea he was in a band. He also acts on occasion, works as an animator/rotoscoper (specifically Richard Linklater's Waking Life), and maintains a very active blog ("It's Not for Everyone").

Posted by Kathy Fennessy on March 4, 2009 at 7:25 PM

Matador signs prog bands now? weird.

Posted by nipper on March 5, 2009 at 1:13 PM

Come on now, this ain't prog, Nipper.

Anyway, weren't Helium prog?

Posted by segal on March 5, 2009 at 2:41 PM

Sounded prog to me. Haven't heard the studio record...

Posted by nipper on March 6, 2009 at 10:10 AM

Yeah...that melodic riff (kinda like the Dark) is hella prog...just needs Ken Hensely singing over that shit! HAHAHAHAHA!! Their not exactly Traffic or Yes...but, you know, Polvo was/is Prog.

Posted by nipper on March 6, 2009 at 10:17 AM