All music fans have some genre which they consider to be a dirty word. For some, it's metal or pop music and others often get more specific with sub-genre dislikes. If you're silly enough to consider power pop a genre that should be passed by then you might want to skip this band and review.
A year's not quite passed by and Dot Dash's follow-up to "Winter Garden Light" is here. Most people would expect a band to have an identifiable sound by their third album and Dot Dash definitely have stamped their own sound identity. There's no denying that they're still a US band who sound like a UK band due to their influences and Dot Dash's core sound remains power pop.
On the band's previous outing one song sounded like Echo and The Bunnymen vocally but it is much more difficult to pick vocal comparisons this time around. Terry Banks' singing will be recognizable as his own to people who have heard Dot Dash's previous release. Comparisons to The Smiths will doubtlessly be made by many who hear this album due to the guitar playing and even that band's often overlooked rythm section.
"The Hands of Time" is a laid back catchy number that combines Johnny Marr guitar with a tune with an opening melody, which a young Paul McCartney would be proud of . "The Sound in Shells" recalls The Dream Academy's best known moment although the guitars resonate much louder through Dot Dash's tune. The previous album had a fast punk style song in "The Past is Another Country" and this album's equivalent is the Buzzcocks fashioned quick burner. It's not all UK as "Do Re Mi" nods to Australia as it's one of those perfect pop songs that The Go-Betweens were writing during the 80's.
The theme of time slipping away runs throughout the lyrics and that brings the main complaint of the album. "Half-Remembered Dream" just passes by too quickly.
4.5/5
The entire album can be heard on Dot Dash's bandcamp site.
Dot Dash on Facebook
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3 comments:
They hit me up for a review too, haven't even had the time to focus on giving them a listen yet. Your review, is a good selling point, sounds like a band I wouldn't mind listening to. Thanx Chris.
Hi Justin.
I dug their previous album too. It still gets regular play on my iPod. It'd be interesting to know whether there live audience is made up of 40 pluses or an equal number of youngsters with the eighties and even seventies reference points in their music.
I need to use my iPod more, it's full of tunes and I think even has a movie I haven't watched yet...pretty much just use it when I'm mowing and with this drought
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