Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
That's no moon, August 19, 2008
They say never judge a book (or by extension, an album) by its cover, but that's the first thing you notice. When the cover is a cross between an anime Death Star and Minesweeper concept art, that's expected. The art direction on the outside hints at the direction of the art inside. In the case of Sacramento-based Dance Gavin Dance's self-titled, several descriptive words come to mind ("dirty," "colorless," "metallic") but the edges of the image are soft and rounded. And it's all surrounded by blank space.
"Dance Gavin Dance" is a record which certainly lives up to the 'promises' of its cover. Musically, that translates into enough variation to keep serious listeners entertained. Melody and spaciness play counterpoint to rough-hewn superchunky guitar riffage that shares borders with Circa Survive and The Blood Brothers alike. The DGG boys love them some musical shifts, too, evoking tinctures of Tool or Gatsbys American Dream. (Though thankfully not quite Mike Patton, in this case.)
Gatsby's singer Nic Newsham even lends a lung to "Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most," a manic depressive love song that swoons between drunken bar-room fist-pumping, and sickly sweet, poppy crooning not far removed from Newsham's chick-magnet side project Red Red Blue. A few round, clear notes bloom like the start of a sweeping, heartfelt epic, to begin the track--but the guitar chokes before anything big happens, mirroring the inner turmoil of the song's narrator:
"Holy s***, she smells like heaven // Been friends since we were eleven // Oh my god, I like her // Yeah, I heard you like her // Baby, I thought that we had something // Compared to him, I'm next to nothing // And oh my god, I like her // But yeah, I heard you like her."
"Hot Water on Wool" tosses Dance Gavin Dance's hat towards the "reflective, slow, ambient" ring of this circus, but it's the oceanic "Caviar" which strays closest to Circa Survive's territory, with fellow Sacromentoan Chino Moreno's undulating Team Sleep vocals blazing the trail. The final guest vocalist, Matt Geise, steps to the plate with "Rock Solid": a predictably solid rocker, which midway swings into a spoken word, conversational skit with only a bleating guitar note and urgent wardrums as accompaniment.
"Skyhook" sees Dance Gavin Dance's new vocalist Kurt Travis trying out some great-sounding falsetto, alternately "aah-aah"'ing and screaming his way through, hinting at some hidden versatility which could come in handy replacing former Dance Gavin Dance singer Jonny Craig on future releases.
With 2008 so far being a year of anticipation and disappointment, it's heartening to hear releases like "Dance Gavin Dance" which crackle with the energy of comfortable experimentation. Backed with unspoken endorsements by past groups known for their top notch brands of unique, heavy, progressive rock (Gatsby's American Dream, Deftones), Dance Gavin Dance has potential to go far. If they can nail down a solid line-up, the fanbase will be there waiting for the foreseeable future.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
It will Grow on You, September 8, 2008
When I first heard Johnny had parted ways with Dance Gavin Dance I had a feeling it would be the same way it was with A Skylit Drive.
Now, don't get my wrong this album is very soon, but it will take some time to grow on you if you are used to the vocal styling of Johnny Craig. The reason I said earlier "it would be the same way it was with A Skylit Drive" is because when I got A Skylit Drive's new cd it was the same way while the new vocalist Jag is very good as Kurt is to Dance Gavin Dance, he is not Jordan Blake. And I feel those are the singers that got us into these bands and there will always be a piece of each song that is missing, but I know this will not make or break me buying music from either of these bands, or going to their shows.
Over all the reason I give it 4 out of 5 stars is because it is a very well made CD but it is missing the originality of the band for me. But I would recommend this to any fans of Dance Gavin Dance, or any bands in the same genres.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
hmm, August 23, 2008
A lot of people are up in arms about this album. Yes, they lost a guitarist. And on top of that, they lost Johnny, their mind blowingly talented singer that blew the top off everything he sang.
I was skeptical about this record, I didn't know if they could find anyone to fill Johnny's shoes.
And Kurt isn't Johnny, but he is better than just good. I dislike guest appearances on songs, detest them for the most part, and was disappointed to see that Dance Gavin Dance had 3 lined up for the new album.
And at first I didn't like those 3 songs (Uneasy Hearts Weigh The Most, Caviar, and Rock Solid), but they grew on me. I love Uneasy Hearts, still dislike Caviar, and Rock Solid is alright.
As for the rest of the songs, I love almost every single one.
The feel they created on Downtown Battle Mountain is still there.
The melody is still there, the great guitar work is still there, the playoffs between singing and screaming are still intricate and engaging.
I love Jonathan's screaming, it reminds me a lot of Fear Before The March Of Flames.
One thing that caught me off guard was the number of f-bombs.
I'm pretty sure there's a couple in every song, and the last track, People You Know has about 16. And it doesn't bother me, but it might some people.
All in all this album is only a slight step down from Downtown Battle Mountain, simply because of the loss of Johnny's vocals. The music is right up to par, and honestly I love listening to it, I've played it a couple dozen times and it hasn't gotten old yet.
Highly recommended.
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