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 Gist ep- 2004 |
A band of Dans -- Dan Susnara and Dan Sweigert sharing vocals, guitar and keyboard duties, Dan VanSchindel adding drums to the final cut -- navigates a loopy, melodic indie-pop territory. The title track begins with Smiths-like vocals and fuzz-laden guitars, then veers Bali-ward with an unexpected blast of Indonesian percussion. A touch of gamelan enlivens the end of "The Ballad of Tony & Angel", too, then slides into "Bemo"'s all-percussive groove. Closer "Alibis" is the most conventional pop song here, with its '70s Peter Frampton wah solo mid-cut. Still, even this one sidles up to the listener rather than attacking face-on. You'll think the song isn't sticking, even as its wordless "ba-ba-ba" vocals creep into a happy, foggy brainspace. It's only later that you realize the song is about the WTC attacks, at least tangentially. "Remember when the towers came down / their anguished cries rang through the town / her cellphone rings into the ground / oblivious, he lies in bed / she thinks he went to work instead," the song observes, while remaining determinedly lighthearted. Oddly, even knowing what the lyrics say hardly kills the buzz.
Jennifer Kelly/Splendid Magazine |
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