Essentially an expanded version of the odds-and-sods EP Broken Down Comforter Collection, Concrete Dunes collects Grandaddy's mid- to late-'90s rarities and B-sides.
Though the track listing is slightly odd, putting early tracks like "Pre Merced" toward the collection's end, the album is still a pretty good overview of Grandaddy's evolution from shambling, fuzzed-out indie rock to the more ambitious, spacy sound of their later work.
Standouts include the static-laden ballad "12-PAK-599"; "For the Dishwasher," a polished, richly textured track that's as good as anything on Grandaddy's albums; the surprisingly snarky "Kim You Bore Me to Death"; and "Wretched Songs," which mixes the group's noisy and introspective sides into a sweeping epic.
Still, most of Concrete Dunes' material was originally rare for a reason -- many of the tracks feel somewhat underdeveloped.
Grandaddy has such a knack for crafting heartbroken-yet-experimental music that the band could churn it out in their sleep, and pretty but unremarkable songs like "My Small Love" and "Gentle Spike Resort" do feel like they were written on autopilot.
Fans who don't already own Broken Down Comforter Collection and can't wait for the follow-up to Sophtware Slump should find Concrete Dunes a worthwhile way to get a Grandaddy fix.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why Would I Want to DieJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | My Small LoveJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 01:22 | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| 3 | 12-Pak-599Johnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | Wretched SongsJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 05:46 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 5 | LevitzJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | For the DishwasherJason Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | Sikh in a Baja VW BugJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 02:06 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 8 | Lava KissJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 9 | FentryJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | Gentle Spike ResortJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Away Birdies With Special SoundsJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 02:01 | 4 MB | 13 MB |
| 12 | Kim, You Bore Me to DeathJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 13 | Pre MercedJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 14 | TasterJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 15 | Egg Hit and Jack TooJohnny Lytle | Grandaddy | Play | 10:58 | 25 MB | 65 MB |
| 61 mins | 140 MB | |||||
| 61 mins | 385 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Gerst | Design |
| 2 | Grandaddy | Primary Artist |
| 3 | Jason Lytle | Composer |
| 4 | Johnny Lytle | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |