'Dietrich' is a collaboration between Aaron Poehler (guitars, vocals, bass?)) and Ryan Tully-Doyle (drums), from out of San Diego. Poehler used to be in a band called Daisy Glaze (name taken from the song of the same name by Big Star?) when he was in Indiana, but I never heard them, nor have I heard the couple of solo albums Poehler released. On first listen 'Dietrich' sounds a lot like Joy Division with a growly gravelly baritone vocal similar to the guy from the Crash Test Dummies mixed with Fields of the Nephilim's Carl McCoy, lacking a bit of the menace. Opening track 'Sleepless' is a hard charging hot mess with vocals nearly buried in the wall of guitar noise. Actually pretty cool! Thereafter, things rapidly cool down with a more open and slower track, 'And in the End' where you Poehler's vocals are brought to fore. The song was didn't seem to be one of their stronger efforts. Thinks pick up with 'Right Behind You', arguably the most commercial and memorable track on the album, which would fit comfortably on most indie radio playlists. 'Aerial' sounds like sped-up My Bloody Valentine (except for the vocals) with its twisting wall of guitar noise. By this time though, I'm sensing Poehler's songwriting is of limited dimension. 'Everyone Knows Her Name' retires to MBV speed, and things do sound a bit warped instrumentally, but Aaron's voice is beginning to wear on me. The predominant bass line carries 'Anhedonia' once again into Joy Division territory, but other than that, it doesn't have a lot going for it. 'Unwinding' is an atmospheric piece of noise pop, with Ryan singing (for a change), and his vocals are a lot closer to MBV's Kevin Shields. While not the hit of the album, it does provide some welcome relief. Nothing much really stands out on the rest of the album, and all I can really figure out is that the songwriting isn't particularly scintillating from this point on. One may wonder why these guys even got a review here being closer to alternative guitar-based rock than what we usually cover. The album only skirts the edge of darkness; is only vaguely experimental; doesn't fit easily into any of Chain D.L.K.'s categories. The obvious reason would be that it was submitted for review, but my reason is that I sense the potential if they could just stretch out and embrace more experimental regions. I actually like the playing on the album a lot. Poehler's voice might be a bit problematic; Tully-Doyle's is under-used. Still, for those looking for artful noise guitar bands, you might want to check this out. You can find digital downloads of 'Dietrich' on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, etc, but if you want the physical CD, you'll have to get it at their Bandcamp site page.