Dead Luke – American Haircut

Hey guys. So as some of you may know, last week was definitely a Jacuzzi Boys kind of week. When it was all said and done, I went over to Florida’s Dying to pick up their wonderful “No Seasons” LP. In doing so, I came across something else that they have that I thought I’d like to give a listen. The name of the band is DEAD LUKE, and the release I’m speaking of is called “American Haircut”. They have the LP for a ridiculously cheap price of $10 over at Florida’s Dying, and I think what sealed the deal for me was the awesome little description of the record – “No sun in these parts, just dead vegetation and an iced over ground where a ghostly voice repeats over and over ‘You know you’re bringing me down.'” After reading a description like that, I was beyond curious what Dead Luke was all about, so here I am today.

“American Haircut” definitely isn’t your normal batch of songs, but that’s probably why you went out of your way to check this dude out, right? Most of the time on the record, you’ll find yourself immersed in these dark, ambient tracks with endless layers of reverb, and at times it almost feels like you’re listening to the music from an underwater point-of-view (or in this case, point-of-listening), and at times it can be quite haunting – for example, the song “Sunrise”. But don’t get me wrong, not every song is creepy or haunting like that. There’s a bunch of other songs from the record with a much more inviting sound, such as “God Bless the Midwest, God Roast the East”, or “Lil’ Red Riding Hood”, which could probably be the most accessible song from the album. Except for “Trapped in Lust”, “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” might be the only track with a noticeable acoustic guitar right from the get-go. And it’s also got a broken keyboard solo throughout the song that’s pretty sweet.

One highlight from “American Haircut” would have to be track two, titled “Dreaming Pt. 3”. The song starts out with these dizzying sound effects, and then moments later everything else joins in. The simple, buzzy bass line guides you through the song and keeps everything running smoothly while all sorts of crazy shit takes place – howling vocals, heavy guitars, pretty much anything you think you hear. As you listen you’ll notice the song gets extremely intense as it builds up into more and more with every passing second – just hang in there. Up next would be track three, “Luke is Not Dead”, and it’s immediately different from the last song. This one gets its point across much quicker as the song starts up right away, and then all the sudden things change up during the second minute, and you’re left with just a woozy sounding acoustic guitar. Definitely didn’t see that coming. Another track from the record that’s certainly worth your time is the final track, “The Best Drug I’ve Ever Done.” And what a perfect name for a song that sounds like it does! This is yet another ridiculously drowned out tune, but it’s got a somewhat inviting sound once you get into it. Little bursts of reverb come out throughout the song, and it’s just a deliciously awesome mess of darkness and noise that’s bound to make your head spin. I think that’s all for today guys, but please check out these few songs below – you won’t be sorry!

Dreaming Pt. 3 –

Lil’ Red Riding Hood –

The Best Drug I’ve Ever Done –

My Rating: 7.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Slowcore, Psychedelic, Noise Rock
American Haircut: Tracklist:
1.) Trapped in Lust
2.) Dreaming Pt. 3
3.) Luke is Not Dead
4.) Sunrise
5.) You’re Bringing Me Down
6.) God Bless the Midwest, God Roast the East
7.) Acid Forest
8.) Lil’ Red Riding Hood
9.) The Best Drug I’ve Ever Done

Dead Luke on Myspace – Not much to see…
BUY “American Haircut” directly from Florida’s Dying
BUY all available Dead Luke releases here at Insound
Dead Luke discography list from Discogs.com