Artist: Double Dagger
Album: More
Year: 2009
Label: Thrill Jockey
Genre(s)/Style(s): noise rock, math rock, post-punk
Line-up:
Nolen Strals - Vocals
Bruce Willen - Bass, Vocals
Denny Bowen - Drums
Tracklisting:
1 No Allies - 2:44
2 Vivre sans temps mort - 5:24
3 We Are the Ones - 3:41
4 Camouflage - 3:34
5 The Lie / The Truth - 2:56
6 Surrealist Composition With Your Face - 3:32
7 Helicopter Lullaby - 4:17
8 Neon Gray - 3:24
9 Half-Life - 5:53
10 Two-Way Mirror - 4:21
My hometown of Baltimore finally has something to be proud of other than topping the national charts with rates of gonorrhea and teen pregnancy. Working off of a simple template of vocals, bass, and drums, Double Dagger have literally stormed onto the hipster scene with some kick ass rock revival. While the radio is getting flooded with vapid, modernized Nirvana clones, Double Dagger are dishing out the grunge with some fucking style and originality.
More, presumably short for Baltimore, is simply badass. Everything just makes you want to get up and mosh. There's so much energy and joy on this record, it's almost absurd that I should enjoy it so much. Vocalist Nolen Strals, while not the most talented singer, is ridiculously charismatic and fronts the band really well. Whether he screams rebelious anthems or prattles away about cherished memories and his take on everyday like (all with a youthful, visceral punk-rock mindset), you can't help but love his unbridled passion. The bass, which often sounds like a guitar, will knock you on your ass and then promptly pick you back up. It devastates when it feels like it -- "No Allies", "Surrealist Composition..." -- then chills the fuck out and takes it easy for a bit -- "Vivre Sans...", "Neon Grey" -- and even gets a wee-bit psychedelic (see: the beautifully fuzzy guitar tone on "We Are the Ones"). Denny Bowen is refreshingly good behind the kit as too many rock musicians just fall into simple 4/4 bullshit. Instead, he pummels when he needs to but keeps at a nice steady pace most of the time, laden with apt fills and well-timed dynamics that make him an integral part of the band and not just a metronome.
Together, these simpletons (I mean that respectfully!) make fantastically accessible and radio friendly rock jams without eschewing creativity. The slow jams are nice and mellow and break up the otherwise punishing punk rock on display, and every song is different and there's not a stinker to be found. All the while the band still manages to let the album get noisy and writhe with feedback when it wants to without getting overly abrasive or monotonous. The whole shebang is wrapped in a really ace production job. Everything has a slight hint 70's lo-fi fuzz to top it all off; it sounds awesomely vintage but still clear as day.The absurd thing is that Double Dagger play simple rock tunes. That's all. But they do it so fucking well, it's rather profound.
Basically, if you hate Double Dagger, then you must also hate such joyous things as freedom and kittens. Fascist.
Verdict: 90% - Baltimore did something fucking awesome for once!
Try it. (rapidshare / 320 kps / ~90 MB)
Buy it @ Thrill Jockey: CD
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