Welcome (Dharma Bums album)

Welcome
Studio album by
Dharma Bums
Released1992
LabelFrontier
ProducerEd Brooks, Dharma Bums
Dharma Bums chronology
Bliss
(1990) 		Welcome
(1992)

Welcome is an album by the American band Dharma Bums, released in 1992.[1][2] Issued via Frontier Records, it was the band's final album.[3][4] A video was shot for "The Light in You", the album's first single.[5] The band supported the album with European and North American tours.[6][7] Welcome was a hit on college radio charts.[8]

Production

The album was produced by Ed Brooks and the band.[9] Most of the songs are about romantic relationships; the band considered the sound to be similar to power pop.[10] Dharma Bums were also influenced by the heavier music of the early 1990s Northwestern scene.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[9]

The Oregonian wrote: "Rough-hewn but melodic, their sound works the guitar-bass-drums basics with freshness and fervor."[5] The Arizona Daily Star deemed the songs "petulant, sweet, loose, jangly, folky."[13] The Los Angeles Times determined that Welcome "combines sharp pop tunefulness with the transparent innocence and energy of youth."[8] The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that Dharma Bums "make their sound from R.E.M.-style jingle-jangle crossed with a garage band's rugged edge."[14]

The Houston Chronicle noted that the band "combines pop hooks and post-punk grunge with the energy of misspent youth."[15] CD Review concluded that "Welcome finds the Bums just as up front and credible as ever, [reminiscent] of the Saints or the Hoodoo Gurus at those groups' very best."[16] The Missoula Independent praised the "cosmic, emotive, accessible, modern rock vein."[17] The Central New Jersey Home News opined that "melodies and solos are understated; there seems to be something dark simmering beneath."[18]

AllMusic wrote that "most of Welcome consists of intriguing slices of moody jangle pop and country-tinged alt-rock that are all the more refreshing for the fact that none of them particularly sound like R.E.M."[12] LA Weekly included Welcome among the best albums of 1992.[19]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The Light in You" 
2."First Time/Last Time" 
3."Good Advice" 
4."Incestuous" 
5."Porch Song" 
6."A Push Me Pull Me" 
7."Favor" 
8."Wreck Around Town" 
9."Bright Orange Spot" 
10."Words" 
11."Aces" 

References

  1. ^ Hughley, Marty (6 Mar 1992). "Rockin' Out". Arts and Entertainment. The Oregonian. p. 23.
  2. ^ "Dharma Bums". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  3. ^ Herzog, Dave (20 Jun 1992). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A74.
  4. ^ "Dharma Bums Biography by Michael Sutton". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b Hughley, Marty (20 Mar 1992). "Coming into Focus". The Oregonian. p. AE9.
  6. ^ Hughley, Marty (17 Apr 1992). "The Essential Game Plan". Arts and Entertainment. The Oregonian. p. 5.
  7. ^ Blackstock, Peter (17 July 1992). "Dharma Bums Deserve Their Day in the Limelight, Too". What's Happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 8.
  8. ^ a b Arnold, Gina (16 May 1992). "The Seattle-Style Karma of Portland's Dharma Bums". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  9. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 200.
  10. ^ Stockman, J. Michael (7 Feb 1992). "Three Bands: One Big Concert". Statesman Journal. p. B1.
  11. ^ Keyes, Bob (2 Jun 1992). "Real Bums Bring Success to Town on Wednesday". Argus Leader. p. B1.
  12. ^ a b "Welcome Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  13. ^ Armstrong, Gene (15 May 1992). "Dharma Bums' new album, 'Welcome'...". Arizona Daily Star. p. 7G.
  14. ^ DeLuca, Dan (19 Jun 1992). "Dharma Bums". Pop/Rock. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 30.
  15. ^ "Critic's Picks". Houston. Houston Chronicle. 2 July 1992. p. 3.
  16. ^ "The Dharma Bums Welcome". CD Review Digest. Vol. 6. 1992. p. 140.
  17. ^ Knight, Patrick (22 May 1992). "In the Future". Missoula Independent. p. 10.
  18. ^ Cotter, Kelly-Jane (2 Jul 1992). "'Welcome', Dharma Bums". Central New Jersey Home News. p. D1.
  19. ^ Cummings, Sue (7 Jan 1993). "Nirvana, Madonna, Tabitha". LA Weekly. p. 36.