The South is Falling

Athens-based Dead Confederate takes melancholy to a whole other level. It's so low, it's practically below ground - buried under dead leaves, Georgia clay and the metaphorical detritus of history.

Listening to the group reminds one of what the south, particularly the youth of the south, is burdened by. Namely, it's dark history, and its deep-rooted, often conflicting, values. It's been a long time since the land of the Confederacy, but judging by Dead Confederate's dark and melancholic take on things, the south still has a lot to reckon with.

Or maybe that's what their music is for. Songs like "The Rat," "The Wrecking Ball" and "All the Angels" take you into a world of hypocrites, demons and contradictions a'plenty. They are stories set in a world of decay, with very little hope for rebirth.

But perhaps that's what a second album is for. Dead Confederate is such a tight, talented band that there's surely more stories yet to come. And, because they've been attracting big-name attention and being compared to bands like Radiohead, Dead Confederate's own story is surely only just beginning.