| The Dykeenies Nothing Means Everything |
| CD Review by Scott "Dr.Music" Itter |
|
November 2007
|
My usual method of giving a little background history seems a little silly this time around. Everyone at Are You On Something.com seems to be way ahead of me with this band, and the "Meet The Dykeenies" feature article on the band takes care of all the personal details. No, I'm here to cover the music from "Nothing Means Everything," the Dykeenies first full length slab of music. Whenever I locate any info about this band online, there always seems to be some mention of bands like The Killers and Arctic Monkeys. Not to say that I don't see the parallels, but I think there are a couple of major differences in The Dykeenies sound. First, these songs all have their own distinct personality. I find The Killers to have a very constant tone that runs throughout their material, and their songs have a tendency to flatten out because of it. The Dykeenies have a very diverse blend of tone on display here. Secondly, there is a Pop sensibility to The Dykeenies that is not found in other bands of their kind (dare I say the newest "New Wave" genre?). These songs are all around three minutes in length, with none of them reaching the four minute mark, and they are all laden with hooks big enough to land a whale. Launching the disc with "The Panic," The Dykeenies seem to jump down your throat with a whiny, a capella vocal that leads into a thrashing that reminded me of The Sex Pistols. But, even though this track is the furthest removed from the rest of the material, it still has the band's stamp on it. The song is a different style, but the band still sounds comfortable and "real" with their performance. And it just so happens that "The Panic" sits back-to-back with the catchiest Pop track on the disc. "Waiting For Go" is a ditty that will infiltrate your head and bang around in there for days on end. It's like some kind of musical masochism, and it doesn't end with "Waiting For Go." The next two tracks, "Stitches" and "Clean Up Your Eyes," remind me of the first time I heard U2. It's not really the music that is similar, but yet it's the chill that I got when I knew I was hearing the "next big thing." These two songs are radio hits, plain and simple. These songs are the voice of a band destined for stardom. It's perfect production quality with the band giving us amazing drum rhythms that roll and rumble sporadically, sharp and intense vocals, with thought provoking lyrics that are poetic and poignant. And, not to single out any one of these talented musicians more than the other, but this drummer is incredible. So many of the rhythms here are complex, but they're never overplayed. Big Country skinsman Mark Brzezicki had a very similar style, and Dykeenies drummer John Kerr is just as good, and just as much fun to listen to. "In And Out," in particular, is a drum clinic. As the album progresses we start to hear every facet of the band's diverse sound. A song like "Things You Cannot See" might remind you of a late 70's/early 80's Peter Gabriel sound that was a bit deeper and more serious, while "New Ideas" and "In And Out" lean more toward The Clash's brand of fired up, crunchy Pop. You might even here a Police influence on "Symptoms." All of these songs are branded with The Dykeenies musical iron though. Packed with soaring vocals, a big drum sound, hooks galore, and excellent production quality, "Nothing Means Everything" is soon to be a modern day classic. |
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