Music: Heiruspecs, Dillinger Four back on track

Hard to believe it -- since they've played around town enough to never really go away -- but the new records by Heiruspecs and Dillinger Four were both a long time coming. In the case of Heiruspecs, the hip-hop wunderkinds-turned-veterans are finally issuing their first CD since 2004's "A Tiger Dancing." It's only the third full-length in their 12-year career, but it's hard to call them slackers considering they're still in their 20s and toured 200-plus dates behind the last record (one of the reasons this one took so long).

D4's record comes after an even longer hiatus from recording: six years. The local punk kingpins didn't exactly sit on their all-too-often-exposed heinies, either.

Album: "Heiruspecs"

What took so long? In 2006, the band hit a slow patch after it hit an ice patch and rolled its van following the very last tour date behind "Tiger Dancing."

"It definitely freaked us out," bassist/bandleader Sean McPherson said then. "[But] it turned out to be a pretty nice mental-health break for all of us." The members took time out for school, jobs and other bands, including Ela, Jessy Greene's group, Big Trouble and frontman Felix's side project Strong Words.

About the record: "I think you can definitely hear that our tastes have changed, and that's probably a result of us playing more in other bands," Felix said, a point proven by the disc's dosage of heavy rock ("Get Up") and vintage soul/funk ("Slammin' Caprice Doors"). This is one epic-sized album. Produced by local hip-hop guru Joe Mabbott, it's loaded with 21 tracks and a slew of guest artists, including I Self Devine and Dessa.

"We figured after four years, we needed and deserved to make a 76-minute record," McPherson said.

Best songs: "Lenses," a moody but infectiously bouncy track with pointed guitar work by Josh Peterson and soulful guest vocals by Maria Isa, recalls the Roots' work with guest gals (Erykah Badu, Jill Scott). Or "The Pushback," the band's funkiest masterpiece and some of the most effortless-sounding, steady-flowing lyrics by Felix.

Most unlikely song: "Sunshower," a light, warm, poppy track featuring Semisonic's Dan Wilson. "I got his e-mail address off one of those big group e-mails where the names weren't bc'd, but I was afraid to use it for the longest time," McPherson recounted. The two parties met backstage at the McNally Smith River Rocks Fest in September and soon hatched a plan to complete the track. Said Felix, "He changed the song dramatically, and for the better. I'm very proud of it."

Album: "C I V I L W A R"

What took so long? "We were never that quick at making records anyway," singer/guitarist Erik Funk pointed out. This one came exceptionally slowly, though, as drummer Lane Pederson finished grad school and became a dad. Funk turned his bar, the Triple Rock, into a full-fledged music venue in 2003 with help from bassist Paddy Costello and guitarist Billy Morrisette. This weekend's CD-release parties at the bar conveniently coincide with its 10th anniversary.

Despite their busier lives, Costello said they never questioned the future of the band. "I tell people D4 is my hepatitis. I couldn't get rid of it if I tried," he said. The band plans to go to the South by Southwest conference next year and tour with the Bouncing Souls. "We're going to be more like a real band," Funk promised.

About the record: The going line is that the band has grown up and grown more serious. Funk disputes that notion, though: "We have funny song titles and funny live shows, but our music has always been serious," he said. But there were some heavier influences on these songs, including the death of his father-in-law and some friends, plus the omnipresent war/politics/corruption topics that punks always rage against but became especially infuriating since the last record.

Best songs: "A Jingle for the Product" or "Clown Cars on Cinder Blocks," which open and close the album, respectively, with big choruses, bigger guitars and a up-yours gusto reminiscent of punk's glory days.

Oddest song: "Parishiltonisametaphor," which kicks off with piano and of course isn't really about Paris Hilton, or "Gainesville," where Funk's vocals are at their most polished and the hooks are prevalent. Either of these tracks could also be in the best song category, though.

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