Review Summary: Eight Years Gone
Do you see that? Up there in the sky! God is smiling. Why is he smiling? Could it be The Callous Daoboys? Their wacky, zany attitude and chaotic songwriting must be pleasing to the man upstairs. After arguably the best album last year,
Celebrity Therapist, there is a lot the Daoboys have to live up to, which is tough to do in just three songs. “Pushing The Pink Envelope” embodies their wild style in an even more confusing back-and-forth pacing than they’ve come to be known for. Transitioning abruptly and (almost) disjointedly from metalcore to jazz to techno breaks and even including a catchy chorus, the song doesn’t take itself seriously, even more so than what they’ve done in efforts prior. An even greater change lies in lead single “Waco Jesus,” opting for less math and more (not math) formula. The post-hardcore-esque jam is entirely simplistic in nature compared to what they’ve done, which comes off somewhat conflicting. The song is infectious and still maintains that sense of zaniness, but it just lacks that manic madness that sets the Daoboys apart and sort of leaves them creating a run-of-the-mill track yet nonetheless effective in nature. “Designer Shroud of Turin” brings us back to that unserious attitude, with its disjointed sections with dissonant riffing mixed with shouted rapping, a chromatic saxophone, and … bossa nova? Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s fun, heavy, and catchy. What I do know, however, is it just feels like something is missing for this three song EP. The Daoboys have become known for not just their vibrant personas that are found prevalent here, but also for their fluid songwriting that isn’t as strongly emphasized here. The tracks here are beyond fun, but there is a lot of musical whiplash that doesn’t have too much resolve, unlike what they excelled with on their past efforts. Nonetheless, what we have here is something that is genuinely fun, even if there isn’t too much underlying substance to latch on to. At the end of the day, God is still smiling, and so am I.
