Review Summary: L.S. Dunes reintroduce themselves as a group to pay attention to on its own merit, blowing their debut out of the water in (nearly) every way.
When L.S. Dunes first revealed themselves sporting a lineup consisting of members from Circa Survive, Coheed and Cambria, Thursday, and My Chemical Romance, it seemed like a proposition that might be too good to be true to anyone who had ever donned fingerless gloves or checkerboard Vans. While Anthony Green had proven himself capable of playing chameleon* before with the dozens of acts he has linked himself to over the decades, expectations might prove themselves to be a bit too much with the weight of the other, high-profile members choosing this outlet to break years of silence (Coheed guitarist Travis Stever still counts in this regard, as he has only been allowed to play licks that mirror Claudio Sanchez’s vocal melodies or contort the familiar “Blood Red Summer” riff for the umpteenth time over the last decade).The group couched these expectations a bit by insisting this was just a group of dudes that circled each other’s orbit for years finally getting a chance to play together and have some fun. While their debut,
Past Lives, was more than good enough to justify its existence to an all-too-hungry audience of increasingly-elder millennials, it also was not
not a group of dudes that circled each other’s orbit for years finally getting a chance to play together and have some fun.
*This is your reminder that he has an EDM collaboration with Avril Lavigne!
Things could’ve been left at that and the group would have cemented itself as a brief and entertaining curious footnote in several Wikipedia articles; thank goodness they didn’t. In a surprising turn of events, L.S. Dunes has not only continued to exist, but has even become the main vehicle for prolific frontman Anthony Green to anchor himself to. It’s with this newfound sense of commitment from all involved that we find the group’s second effort
Violet, and it’s superior to the first in every way imaginable.
Well, almost. Truth be told, opener “Like Magick” is the weakest song on offer that sounds like a weaker stab at
Past Lives’ “2022." There’s an entirely-too-long acapella introduction that is only met with a dull and rather rudderless instrumental backing, only somewhat redeemed by an explosive guitar solo finale. It’s far from a terrible song, but the pieces never really come together the way they feel like they should. Which is surprising, considering the rest of the album is nothing
but all the pieces coming together exactly like they should.
Violet’s biggest victory is not only sounding like the sum of its lofty parts, but also having a personality that’s distinctly its own. Take the title track, which successfully weaves together the propulsive rhythms of Thursday with Frank Iero’s twinkly melodrama from My Chemical Romance, and even an “Al the Killer” style freak-out from Travis (I can’t say this enough: FREE HIM). Of course, Anthony Green’s distinct vocals take center stage and he continues his renaissance that began with his impeccable 2022 run with vocals that sound refined and mature. The elevator pitch obviously remains that these high-profile dudes are coming together somewhat free of the obligations from the works that made them famous, but this time the results sound as well-crafted as the billing would suggest. “Machines” is a triumphant piece of faux-mall emo that would make a fine addition to any emo karaoke night’s setlist if Anthony’s vocals weren’t laughably impossible to replicate, with so much happening under the hood that it makes my head spin. Travis and Frank somehow make their distinct playing styles work in just the right amount over an infectious thick bassline that would beckon even the scoliosis-est of 30-somethings to risk it all for a few minutes.
All that to say, Will Yip is a wizard on production. “You Deserve to Be Haunted” is a noisy and chaotic whirlwind that could have easily turned into an incomprehensible mess, but he manages to make each and every layer distinct enough to coalesce and form a true sonic tapestry. That same proper spacing really elevates “Holograms” into a slithering, badass cacophony that could almost pass as a scene version of The Gorillaz if it weren’t for Anthony Green and Damon Albarn’s stark vocal differences. “Forgiveness,” while likely to become the most controversial song here, closes things on one hell of a note. It’s about as subtle as a bat to the face, but it’s a gloriously emotional finale that just
goesfor it with Anthony belting an anthemic plea (“With all our heart/we beg forgiveness/for everything we ever said and everything we made”) that either stops just short of saccharine, or goes a mile over the line. Either way, it’s hard not to get a little choked up as the group throws everything from synthetic strings and anthemic power chords to a pulse-pounding buildup together while Green shouts “alive like this, tonight!” knowing the struggles he and the other members of the group have overcome throughout the years.
To be clear,
Violet isn’t a
Black Parade or a
Blue Sky Noise or a
Good Apollo or
A War All the Time. And thank goodness it’s not trying to be. Rather than live in the shadow of the works that built its billing, L.S. Dunes have pressed forward to reintroduce themselves as a group that not only honors their legacies, but expands them.