Search - Giant Drag :: Hearts & Unicorns

It's not dragging, but it is giant!

M. Swinney | Flower Mound, TX | 03/05/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Throw me some muses Annie, what in the good God's name of Polly Jean Harvey is going on here? Giant drag? What's a giant drag? Chris Isaak standing you up when you were only 8 is a drag. Chris Isaak letting you play wicked game on track 13 is not a drag, but just plain wicked in a giant way. A perfect updating with sonic guitars and a coy female lead. Nice, it reminds me of a rendition of Floyd's Brick in the Wall by a little California group I heard on a USO tour. Nice little fuzzed out spin on this Isaak standard.



So who is this Giant Drag and what is the giant buzz about? It's little Annie Hardy who looks all of 12 years of age. I don't think she's a mousketeer though since she has played at all kinds of over 21 venues in her day along with Pretty Girls Make Graves. So it's Annie on her fuzzed out guitar singing with the coying pipes and either Micah Calabrese or some guy named Eli on the drums and keyboards. I see someone is comparing them to My Bloody Valentine. Well, friends I wouldn't know about that but she does summon up all sorts of Throwing Muses, PJ Harvey, and a little bit of Silversun Pickups to boot. Track 3, "This isn't it," might as well be Tanya Donneley at the top of her game with that perfect blend of pop perfectery just sitting on the edge of turmoil.



Yflmd, the 4th track has a little bit of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs going on. These guys get a lot of sound from two musicians aka The White Stripes but do it they do and do it well. So I've tried to capture this Giant Drag sound by comparing them to all sorts of other bands just so you can get a little of their flavor but they seem to blazing a trail that draws closely to these influences but madly creates their own sound. With a price that kills or at least is friendly on the wallet I can think of no good reason to pass up giving the Giant Drag a giant try. At least you get to hear Annie devolving into a series of meows at the end of track 1 and hear her riffing on Isaak's Wicked Game...worth the price of admission alone.

--MMW"

I can't quite put my finger on it...

prodigal eyelid | Miami | 12/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...but there is definitely something special about this band. I think it just boils down to great songwriting, and highly addictive songs that you want to listen to over and over. Annie Hardy (vocals/guitar) has the ability to construct a song using probably no more than 3 chords and still make that song unique and awesome. There is a nice mix of melody and atmosphere on this album and every song is pretty much great. Annie's vocals also range from delicate/soft (i.e. Cordial Invitation), to more angst-filled (i.e. My D*** S***) and everything inbetween. I don't know much about genres such as indie rock, shoegazing, etc., (aside from a few bands) but suffice it to say that Giant Drag has made me want to delve into these genres.



I just found out a few days ago that the drummer/synths Micah has quit the band (don't think this is a rumor) so it will be interesting to see what Annie has up her sleeve for the next album as she is the only member left. In all though, Giant Drag is a band full of potential and I hope that they (considering Annie hires someone else) get the recognition they deserve in the near future."

Buy stock in Annie now

Michael Kneisel | bowling green | 05/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of maybe 5 Cds I own that were released after 1993. Annie IS Giant Drag, in a Trent Reznor fashion - while the other musicians do a great job here, it's her essential songwriting that shines. The variety of styles is impressive, even the "shoegazer" songs are well-crafted and non-stereotypical. I'm depressed, but not surprised, that this wasn't bigger - more of a statement of the sad state of music than Annie's talent. I'd love to see her make it, but I also admit it's nice having a secret again. . .and, yeah, more "Breeders" than MBV. And "Smashing" is the finest melancholy drinking song since "Brand New Vein.""