Review Summary: Strong, creative ideas and incredible dual vocals make Dance Gavin Dance's debut a noteworthy post-hardcore effort.
It’s sad to say that Dance Gavin Dance has become a pathetic figure within the post-hardcore scene as of late, strictly because the band can’t seem to hold the same line-up for more than six months. And amidst all these line-up changes and yearly album releases, one could argue that their glory days are well behind them, with their efforts peaking on their debut album,
Downtown Battle Mountain back in 2007. Fronted by the notorious Johnny Craig and featuring only two current band members, why is this entry in the band’s catalogue considered the group’s best?
First and foremost, what makes this incarnation of Dance Gavin Dance so good is the chemistry between the two main vocalists, Johnny Craig and Jonathan Mess. The dual vocal approach really works well here on
Downtown Battle Mountain, as Jonathan Mess’s harsh, gravelly growl really contrasts well with Johnny Craig’s elevated croonings, and the duo manages to offer their own incredible substance apart from what the music alone has to offer. I know that one popular criticism of this duo is that a handful of people don’t care for Jonathan Mess’s scratchy delivery, and I would agree normally, but the two work so well
together that it doesn’t hurt the overall quality of the band at all. Simply put, Dance Gavin Dance’s later releases really take a hit from not having these two at the front of the stage, as their ability to create vocal hooks together were really outstanding and very fitting of the band’s sound.
But beyond the vocals, the music of
Downtown Battle Mountain is just as entertaining and well-crafted. The band showcases such a strong, creative post-hardcore sound here, featuring catchy lead guitar and eschewed progressions and structures. Songs like “Lemon Meringue Tie” and “Backwards Pumpkin Song” manages to keep cohesion despite the wandering, almost aimless structure progression, and the catchy, heavy riffs and strong melodies always warrant at least a dozen more listens. Two great examples of the band’s ability and style come courtesy of both “Open Your Eyes and Look North” and “And I Told Them I Invented Times New Roman”, as the catchy music meshes perfectly with the catchy vocals, resulting in some unique, addictive songs. This incarnation of the band really had some strong, intelligent chemistry, and it is something that later line-ups of the band have had trouble replicating.
And while I consider
Downtown Battle Mountain to be their best, I’ll admit that there are some substantial flaws that keep it from being fantastic. First would be the issue of production: this album has one of the loudest masterings I’ve ever heard, and the booming, distorted production comes off as overwhelming at times. The second problem is, while I commend the band for being quirky and unusual with their song writing, sometimes songs come off as being
too quirky and unusual, as some parts of songs just sound awkward and strange: “It’s Safe To Say…” really loses momentum while trying to find a steady progression, “Antlion” fails to find any substance at all, and “Strawberry Andre” is just too strange to go back to repeatedly.
Not that I would wish it upon any band, but I’m afraid that the bell is tolling for Dance Gavin Dance. While they have been releasing a steady stream of solid releases, I can’t help but shake my head at the group’s revolving door line-up, and that usually spells doom more often than not. Maybe Dance Gavin Dance will stick together and find another collection of musicians sooner or later that could re-create the strong sound and ideas of
Downtown Battle Mountain, but for now, their debut album still stands as being their strongest effort, and one of the many notable releases of the post-hardcore genre.
so we'll see what they are able to pull off =)
