Dog Fashion Disco – Anarchists of Good Taste – 2.5/5
http://www.mediafire.com/d
As much of a fan I am for Avant-Garde, this release simply doesn’t work as well as I hoped. Combining a number of instruments, from flutes, keyboards and saxophones, as well as the expected bass, drums, guitars and vocal work, it reeks of what could have been. Instead were left with a slightly more morbidly comical ‘System of a Down,’ (whose lead vocalist oddly makes an appearance), with the occasional resemblance to the likes of ‘Stolen Babies’ in the carnival-gone-wrong tone, as well as points where the keyboards go a little too far and produce something I’d expect from ‘Marilyn Manson,’ not a band who are capable of showing as much creativity as pokes through here.
Specifically it’s the use of unusual instruments that promotes this unusual tone, the sudden transition from an aggressive rock tone to a slow melodic flute solo in ‘9 to 5 and the morgue’ exemplifying what they are capable of. The drums remain consistent if rather subdued and relegated to the obligations of keeping the tempo, and the bass too feels often undervalued, producing incredibly simplistic riffs. The sporadic use of ‘alternative’ instrumentation insufficient to produce something memorable, this duty thusly falls into the hands of the guitars and vocals.
Whilst the guitars provide ample variety in tones and aggression, they all fall well within the rock genre. More specifically, the generic and bland side of the genre, whilst adequate produce nothing more than an unmemorable rhythm, and the vocals do nothing to compensate for this fact. Whilst he has a number of degree’s of clean and rasped vocals, he lacks in his ability to vary pitch in such a way as to produce something that feels noteworthy.
This isn’t necessarily a bad band, they all prove they are capable musicians at some point in this album, they simply fail to do it often enough. This results in an album that whilst showing potential in the form of short passages of avant-garde goodness, ends up placed on top of the pile with the generic nu-metal and nickelback clones. Too often the sound degenerates into mediocrity, and fades into the background. If they are a band worthy of attention, this isn’t going to be the album to convince me.
Highlights: 9 to 5 at the morgue, Vertigo Motel
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