Weapons Grade Romantic, the first full-length album from Dojo Workhorse, conjures up memories of peddling your bike on the last days of summer, running for the bus in the falling leaves and having mad conversations at the local coffeehouse. In short, it’s the soundtrack to being young. Categorizing it might be hard, but laid-back-stoner-folk-pop definitely comes to mind. This smooth, tightly-woven offering will no doubt annoy some while delighting others and may be the perfect record for casual parties. New Year’s Eve is definitely the standout track, which tackles the somewhat universal post-party experience: “Does she remember kissing me when she was drunk?” All in all this record could definitely use more testosterone in parts to change things up, but if you’re having a couple of glasses of wine and looking for something to spin, this might just be your ticket.

Published in Volume 64, Number 10 of The Uniter (November 5, 2009)