|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
|
Loveless:
Gift to the World
Gift to the World is an immaculately produced collection of pop-rock in the vein of Morning Glory-era Oasis and more recently The Dandy Warhols and OK Go. Combining effortless melodies with a high-energy sound, the band delivers a wonderfully infectious debut thats sure to open some eyes. While its easy to say bands are melodic these days or worse yet, catchy Loveless gives merit to these sentiments by writing genuinely moving pop songs. Opener Go practically picks you up and carries you to the starting line, while songs like title track Gift to the World and Beautiful soar with choruses made in power pop heaven. Theres a great energy to the record, and Im not talking Raw Power here, but more or less like any good Cars record. Add distortion and a brit pop swagger, and you start to get the picture. Meanwhile, the production is fantastic. Mike Denneen deserves a lot of credit for the albums densely layered sound. With an ear for separation, he leaves nothing muddled, so the guitars crunch and fizzle, the drums crackle and every harmony is given equal opportunity. In fact, part of the fun is in listening to the record on headphones to hear the individual instruments and all the cool little things going on in each ear. Its kind of like hearing a Beatles record. Singer Dave Wanamaker may not have the most expressive voice, but hes backed up nicely here by rhythm guitarist Jen Trynin (one hopes shes featured more prominently on future records). Furthermore, any vocal shortcomings are overshadowed by the songwriting, which more often than not is stellar. At times, Wanamaker marries melody and lyric to startling effect (She smokes like the seventies sets off future radio hit Stick to the Girl, and I was in love with a girl when she was in love with the world is the oft-repeated mantra of Darling Would You). This Is a Way proves his depth, and finds Wanamaker giving testimony to Morrisseys claim that songs can save your life. He may be singing to a lot of universals, but Wanamaker sounds like a man experienced, and perhaps thats why these songs resonate long after youve removed your headphones.
This album can be purchased at Amazon and CD Universe About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
