The Diggs are Timothy Lannen (guitar/vocals), Robert Haussmann (bass), and Charlie Schmid (percussion), a Brooklyn-based band that champion the epic mid-nineties indie rock sound that is sure to please fans of The Stone Roses, Built To Spill, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Their sophomore LP ctrl-alt-del was recorded at Stratosphere Sound, a studio in the West Chelsea neighborhood of New York City owned by ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlessinger. Their previous release Commute was incredibly well received by Time Out New York, The Village Voice, MSNBC.com, and The L Magazine, as well as by countless blogs. The Diggs went on to share bills with The View, Midlake, Jeremy Enigk (ex-Sunny Day Real Estate), The Most Serene Republic, Annuals, Pela, Field Music, and Amusement Parks on Fire to name a few. The tone of the new record ctrl-alt-del is frantic and at times haunting. However, there is a glimmer of hope embedded throughout, where disillusion is broached with nostalgia, and angst is juxtaposed with optimism. Gorilla Vs. Bear (http:// gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/2005/08/diggs.html) and My Old Kentucky Blog (
http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/2005...-festivus.html) have already taken note, most recently the Future Sounds (
http://futuresounds.blogspot.com/200...s-updates.html) blog has given The Diggs much deserved attention for their new record. We hope for the sake of Rock and Roll, you do too. Preview these two cinematic tracks from ctrl-alt-del, their upcoming release out on Sugarspun Records on March 11th, 2008.
BLOG LOVE FOR THE DIGGS:
“The Diggs… WOW… never have I heard a band blend a melody so beautifully with feedback drenching guitars and walls of noise. They almost seemed bigger than life, putting on the best performance I’ve ever seen from them. These guys are definitely on the cusp of something big, very BIG.” – Crackers United/Friction NYC
“I was stoked to see a new track by The Diggs pop up in my inbox last night, and that was before I even took a listen. Their 2005 album, Commute, was an invigorating collection of space rock, shoegaze, and 90’s alt rock with big, buzzing guitars and a sound larger than one would expect from a guitar, bass, and drums trio. I distinctly remember a live performance of theirs on KEXP where you’d swear they had an extra guitarist or two hiding in the rear of the studio. ‘Careen’ continues exactly where the band left off on Commute, with the tight interplay between guitarist Timothy Lannen and bassist Robert Haussmann dueling for your attention, until some good old fashioned bursts of fuzzy squeals hit the speakers, effectively ending the guitar vs bass debate.” – I Rock Cleveland
“The Diggs have been around since 2003 and don’t much appreciate the emo label that’s oft applied to them, instead they focus on being melodic [and] have a classic approach to classic rock instruments - they play them. So it’s not emo per se, just emotional…The choruses are poppy indeed (though I wouldn’t call the overall sense I get from the songs as Britpop) and ‘Everyone’s Starting Over’ will regail your 90s-rock nostalgic needs (think Sonic Youth’s Goo).” – Eardrums Shall Fail
“…their tastes tend to skew more into classic guitar-heavy indie bands - the dissonant guitar sound of Sonic Youth is given a nice salute in ‘Faith In Strangers’ while the ‘Minimum’ tips a cap to both Ride and Coldplay, making it the stand-out track on an album of good songs that are definitely worth your time.” – Losingtoday