City of Angels (1)
Ever since the heady days of Punk, this Blogger has always has always proclaimed a totally irrational following of female bands (I'll put it down to the "jangly guitars and female vocals" thing then - Oh, that and the "three girls who play in a band"...), so exiled as I am in the "banlieue" of Los Angeles, it hasn't gone unnoticed that there's a band originally from around these here parts who - when it comes to crafting innovative guitar-fueled tunes all wrapped around incredibly intense lyrics and hummable melodies - are leaving their male compatriots floundering in their wake...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the...
Dum Dum Girls
Looking at those stock photo images of Dee Dee Penny - dressed all in black, a skirt that's just a tad short, all
poise, face obscured behind obligatory oversize shades - and it would
be easy to dismiss the Dum Dum Girls as yet another example of style
over substance (this is after all Los Angeles), but then you put on
their debut CD I "Will Be"
and the first few chords of a "It only takes one night" strike-up - all
lo-fi fuzzed guitar and flawless reverbed vocals and harmonies - a
nigh-on perfect mix of shredded bubblegum and garageband pop... All neatly
condensed into under three minutes - to realise that it may be possible to
look that good and sound this perfect...
So take one slightly introverted songwriter, with a bit of a fixation for 70's and 80's New Wave and those classic girl groups from the 60's, and it was fairly obvious that the Dee Dee Penny, the Dum Dum Girls and yours-truly were destined to hangout together - spending long evenings together in the vicinity of a CD player - although all unrequited love on my part, I suspect...
So take one slightly introverted songwriter, with a bit of a fixation for 70's and 80's New Wave and those classic girl groups from the 60's, and it was fairly obvious that the Dee Dee Penny, the Dum Dum Girls and yours-truly were destined to hangout together - spending long evenings together in the vicinity of a CD player - although all unrequited love on my part, I suspect...
Whereas 2010's opener is an "in-yer-face" tour de force that literally slaps you into submission (a heady mix of Elastica and the lo-fi sensibilities of the Shop Assistants), the band's 2011 follow-up "Only in Dreams" hints at a growing maturity both lyrically and musically (a heady mix of fellow west coast bands Best Coast, the Go-Go's and Mazzy Star - especially on "Coming down" - mixed with the Home Counties twee of Talulah Gosh and more than a nod to those great harmony-driven female bands of the 60's) while managing not to betray the raw energy so apparent on the first album.
Sandwiching the 2011 album are two stunning 4-track EP's "He Gets Me High" and last year's "End's of Daze". The former hints at the more expansive sound and direction the album was going to take. It also gives notice of the fact to Dee Dee's growing confidence as a songwriter - there are two absolutely fantastic balladesque numbers here; "Wrong feels right" and "Take care of my baby" - which wouldn't sound out of place on any album originating from the heyday of the Brill Building. As a bonus there is the most amazing rocket-powered cover of The Smiths' "There is a light that never goes out" - one of my favourite Morrissey and Marr compositions and their cover is one of my favourite versions.
2012's "End of Daze" showcases a darker, more somber and introspective sound (the songs reflect the period during which Penny's mother died of cancer). The end result is utterly mesmerising. There's an almost autobiographical, cathartic, feel - "The tracks of time, the tracks of tears, When love is smothered out in fear..." ("Lord Knows"). There's also another great cover - Strawberry Switchblade's "Trees and flowers" - stripped back, rebuilt, totally owned and totally fitting...
And now the girls - Dee Dee, Jules, Sandy, Malia - are back.
There's an eagerly awaited new album ("Too True" - out January 28th here in the States, a day earlier in Europe) - ably overseen by Penny's go-to team of Richard Gottehrer (see that earlier reference to the Brill?) and The Ravonettes' Sune Rose Wagner - featuring a still evolving and even more expansive sound, and a promised new direction... (check-out the video of "Lost Boys and Girls Club", below, as a taster of what to look forward to - if that isn't a riff to die for, what is?).
There's also a gig in early January at the Echo on Sunset (guess who's going to that...), although those of you across the pond should go and check them out at the Hoxton Bar and Grill in London on December 14th.
Trust me. Jangly guitars? Female vocals? They don't get any better than this...
There's an eagerly awaited new album ("Too True" - out January 28th here in the States, a day earlier in Europe) - ably overseen by Penny's go-to team of Richard Gottehrer (see that earlier reference to the Brill?) and The Ravonettes' Sune Rose Wagner - featuring a still evolving and even more expansive sound, and a promised new direction... (check-out the video of "Lost Boys and Girls Club", below, as a taster of what to look forward to - if that isn't a riff to die for, what is?).
There's also a gig in early January at the Echo on Sunset (guess who's going to that...), although those of you across the pond should go and check them out at the Hoxton Bar and Grill in London on December 14th.
Trust me. Jangly guitars? Female vocals? They don't get any better than this...
Discography:
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