Swerving SXSW emails has reached fever-pitch over the last couple of days, I'm extremely jealous of anybody who happens to be in Texas this week. One thing for sure, it's guaranteed to be incredible with an almost who's who of bands playing alongside warm weather and free beer at most showcases too, it seems almost too good to be true. I'm not there though so I won't be discussing it again! Envy. Instead I'll head to my archive of drafts and write a few old posts up fully as I doubt they'll be too much new stuff hitting this week.
Starting with Danish quartet Darling Don't Dance who released their debut full length City Ghosts via Pad Pen Records on Vinyl and Digital last year, opener "Waiting For High Tide" lulls the listener into a false sense of security with warm harmonies wrapped in a blanket of chiming guitar, until after a minute or so we are introduced to the sounds which become the signature of the album, big, venomous riffs and crashing drums. Darling Don't Dance remind me of Sleater-Kinney or a few other 90's noise-rock bands I could mention, blockbuster tracks full of breathless energy that shreds on your ears and makes your speakers bulge with noise.
"Replacement" highlights that perfectly, hypnotic grooves of full-on rock melded with some great harmonies, the vicious edge of the howling lead vocal softened by the beautifully warm backing harmonies with the polished garage scuzz of "Never Seen Anything Like This" and "Golden View" sounding equally potent and powerful. Indeed, softer moments are few and far between with "Movies" offering about the only sign of light, yet it's hypnotic textures are still guitar heavy and leaves little time for you to catch your breathe, City Ghosts is here to grab your attention and boy does it do that.
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