Dwarves Albums (8)
'The Dwarves Must Die'
Release Date 9/21/2004
Tracks 15
Label Sympathy For The Record Industry
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A band that got kicked off Sub Pop for playing pranks (turns out their guitarist wasn't dead!) shouldn't be releasing albums so well constructed, should they? Album covers with naked/bloody women and midgets, half-hour-long albums and 15 minute shows, and a total aversion to telling the truth give the Dwarves a lower profile than you'd think if you only heard the music. It keeps the band a dirty little secret. If you want in and can stand the guy or girl behind the counter sizing you up for buying an album with such a filthy cover, The Dwarves Must Die is an excellent place to start. Producer Eric Valentine -- the man who gave everyone from Smash Mouth to Queens of the Stone Age his winning slick and loud treatment -- keeps the chaos clear as a bell and makes this the most accessible Dwarves album yet. Luckily, the band is ready for Valentine's cool touch with an inspired, biting set of tunes that put the pedal to the metal. There are punk, garage, and metal sounds, of course, along with the catchy, over the top pop that was featured on 2000's Come Clean and some hip-hop that's just plain fun. Dexter Holland from the Offspring, Nick Oliveri from Queens of the Stone Age, Nash Kato from Urge Overkill, and the man who voiced the original Space Ghost -- Gary Owens -- all show up as guests, but they're only pawns in the Dwarves' deviant game. Running at just over half an hour, The Dwarves Must Die is tight and doesn't wear out its welcome. As much as the Dwarves try to sabotage their own career with a "stay away" attitude, their music keeps getting better and better. If it wasn't for the blood and nudity, they'd be huge. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With a title like Blood Guts & Pussy, an album cover which features three nude models drenched in animal blood, and song titles like "Let's Fuck," "Fuck You Up and Get High," "Motherfucker," and "Fuckhead," the Dwarves had obviously redirected their style since Horror Stories. Gone is the subtle suggestiveness of that album, replaced by explicit exploitation and genuinely disgusting humor. Of course, most won't find the Dwarves very humorous; it takes a sick mind to appreciate the Dwarves' celebration of statutory rape on "Let's Fuck" or vocalist Blag Jesus' anger at a girl afraid of AIDS on "SFVD." Thirteen songs full of general punk sloppiness and distortion performed in 14 minutes. [Note: Many pressings of the CD are missing the track "Fuckhead" and the bonus untitled "Bitch" track, although all versions of the CD have "Fuckhead" on the track list.] ~ Matt Carlson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Come Clean is a fairly radical departure for the Dwarves, combining catchy, garagey punk-pop tunes with jackhammer electronic beats that recall industrial-metal bands like Ministry, or the hardcore techno of Atari Teenage Riot. It's an odd, striking fusion, and parts of it actually work surprisingly well; plus, it's an interesting listen even when the juxtaposition seems a little forced. But just as importantly, the Dwarves have written songs that feature a batch of pretty memorable hooks, which helps make Come Clean one of their most intriguing albums. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Beginning their career as a Midwestern garage band, the Dwarves made an abrupt change once they moved to San Francisco, maintaining their recklessness, but getting faster and faster. Free Cocaine traces the arc of that development, collecting singles, demo tracks, and other sessions from that time period, beginning with the Lucifer's Crank EP, and progressing onward. Most early tracks betray tremendous musical inadequacies -- at this point, the Dwarves were hardly the polished pop-punkers they would become by the time they signed to Epitaph. Nonetheless, even this raw material has plenty of catchiness, playing ability issues aside. The album also collects compilation cuts like "Lesbian Nun" from the Amrep compilation Dope, Guns, and Fucking in the Streets and singles all the way up through the late '90s on Man's Ruin. Though known primarily for their hard-living, and reckless violence at shows, with most sets clocking in under 20 minutes, the Dwarves, at this juncture, were the best in the underground rock world at what they did: cooking up fast-as-hell, catchy, raunchy hardcore punk. ~ Patrick Kennedy, All Music Guide
'The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking'
Release Date 3/14/1997
Tracks 13
Label Theologian
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Dwarves' hardcore, attack-the-audience, bloody-nose days were nearly over with the release of Are Young and Good Looking, but the band, now soberer and with a stronger lineup, put out their most satisfying record. At least three songs here are among the heaviest and fiercest tunes they've written, "We Must Have Blood," which absolutely rips, "Throw That World Away," changed from an earlier version where it was called "Throw That Girl Away," and "You Gotta Burn." These songs have a relatively huge sound for punk tunes and the guitars smoke. This album was the beginning of a new Dwarves, no longer a freak show, fistfight-type outfit with shows that last 15 minutes, but one that plays real songs, had a set list, and left the club unbloodied. Some may hanker for the more combustible earlier incarnation of the Dwarves, but as far as their records go, it does not get any better than this. ~ Adam Bregman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Having nothing left to prove, or at least nothing left to shock with, the Dwarves retreated again to subtle innuendo on Sugarfix, their final release. So, when Blag moans about loneliness on "Anybody Out There," you know he really has something dirtier in mind. But Blag actually manages to break free from his sex-starved libido for most of Sugarfix, offering absurd commentary on the Seattle grunge fad in "Smack City" with facetious references to Nirvana and Mudhoney. Musically, the Dwarves had matured into a cohesive punk-rock combo, and they even managed to write a few songs that lasted more than a minute and a half. ~ Matt Carlson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After the Suburban Nightmare disbanded, The Dwarves formed and then released the similarly styled Horror Stories album, which speeds through 12 cagey garage-punk numbers, including covers of Larry And The Blue Notes' "In and Out," and The Calico Wall's "I'm a Living Sickness," and The Avengers' "Be A Caveman." Though the Dwarves began by delivering subtle innuendo, the band still manages to hint at the exploitation to come on future projects ("Lick It," "Sometimes Gay Boys Don't Wear Pink," "Love Gestapo"). Horror Stories is all punk snarl as The Dwarves shred the songs down to the bones in a ferocious style. ~ Matt Carlson, All Music Guide
'Thank Heaven for Little Girls'
Release Date 1/1/1991
Tracks 11
Label Sub Pop
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Thank Heaven For Little Girls reins in the disgust of Blood Guts & Pussy, as the Dwarves kick back for a celebration of pure evil. "Satan was a friend of mine," screams Blag Jesus in "Satan." This record is more musically adept, as the Dwarves add some guitar solos and '50s rockabilly swagger, but again, the band is most enjoyable when recklessly delving into their favorite subject -- sex -- on ditties like "Fuck 'Em All," "Dairy Queen," and "Lucky Tonight." ~ Matt Carlson, All Music Guide
