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The
Dead on Holiday
Self-titled CDR
Clownfish
Recordings
Genres: rock, indie rock
Nov 25 - Dec 1 2002 |
From
London, England comes The Dead on Holiday. While at first I was
put off by their glossy, radio-friendly rock style, their music is
actually very enjoyable. Mixing a sense of grittiness with slick,
professional recording, the Dead actually do have a very nice
sound going on.
The first track, "Venus Punch," is a pleasant one, though
it has a very strong "IT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE!!!" sound to it.
Though it's the first of the four tracks, it's also the least
impressive. Though the melody is very catchy, it hits a bit too close
to today's mainstream "alternative rock" material.
"Daylight Robbery," meanwhile, has a more appealing sound to
it. Dangerously catchy, it takes a basic melody and composes a tune
that takes cues from Six By Seven's music. Hints of a darker,
more gritty sound lie under the track's glossy cover, and it's these
moments that really show the band's promise.
"Artisans Nightmare," then, is a powerful, rocking piece
that takes it up a notch, exploding forth in a flurry of ripping
guitars and crazy drumming. The result is fantastic, proving that the
band really can drop the whole glossy routine and just kick some major
ass. "Right To Fight" finishes things off in a similarly
raucous mood, boasting a bit of a Sonic Youth influence.
Altogether, this is a very enjoyable EP. With four tracks and a
CD-Rom feature, it's a nice introduction to the Dead on Holiday's
music. Their sound is surprisingly fresh, though they need to make an
important decision: are they going to go for the bland, glossy radio
sound that they exhibited on "Venus Punch," or are they
going to stick with the more enjoyable, indie sound that characterizes
the more successful, latter songs?
76%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
4 tracks + cd-rom feature; distributed by the
label;
released 2002] |
