Music Shorts
EW's music writers cover the local scene.
Pop Resurrection

The High Dials
Jangly riffs, sentimental lyrics and soaring melodies all describe the music of the High Dials. With a nod to all the appropriate (and great) players — The Zombies, The Byrds and The Pretty Things — the High Dials honor their musical influences with a sophisticated early '90s rock edge that brings newness and originality to classic, albeit forgotten, pop sounds.
So they're big in Canada. Possibly Japan? Who knows. Stateside, the High Dials haven't really thrown the switch that would illuminate the US pop-world. However, on the wake of the release of their solid, forthcoming album, War of the Wakening Phantoms, (which, by the way features amazing psychedelic/folk artwork a la those old '60s concert posters for the Fillmore), the group stands poised to really turn some heads. The Montreal-based five-piece was also the darling of this year's South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, and were voted by the New York Post and SPIN magazine as one of the top ten "must see" bands at the event.
War of the Wakening Phantoms capitalizes on the group's ability to write memorable, cascading melodies. Every note captivates with vibrant emotion and melancholy, while at the same time refraining from being too corny or wussy. You can sit and listen in introspection or leap from your seat and do the Flashdance run-in-place dance. Pre-released tracks from the album such as "The Holy Ground" and "Soul In Lust" virtually explode with crisp yet morose guitar hooks. Whereas songs like "Standhill Sands" reflect the group's fondness for a more subdued Brit-pop sound (in an almost shoegazing style) and more specifically, the music of Supergrass.
Craig Leve, the on-air host of KWVA campus radio's "Snap Crackle Pop" radio show, was among the first people to introduce the group to the West Coast public. Apparently the band loves playing in Eugene as next week's stop at the Downtown Lounge marks the High Dials' third appearance here, having previously played at the Black Forest and the Samurai Duck. War of the Wakening Phantoms drops stateside on July 12. The High Dials perform with Nude at 10 pm at the Downtown Lounge on Monday, 6/20. Free. — Steve Sawada