It may just be the words “Dead Dads Club,” but much about this track has the undercurrent of barely suppressed neurosis. The stuttering beat of “maud’dib,” along with its lyrics, suggest a desperate eagerness to stay optimistic, to please, but the strain shows. The effect is intriguing, infatuating even, though pregnant with just the right dash of sadness. The forced cheer is nicely symbolized in the conspicuous smiley face the band uses to spell its name. The song is sonorous enough, the voices are independently pretty, and the production is very fine, but the slightly unusual rhythms and lingering vocals come together to suggest a history of distress. It has a severely disquieting effect similar to not being able to get comfortable in one’s own bed. Everything becomes alien. Panic, slowly mounting, takes hold. There is a very exact truth to these layers. I like these layers.
Dead Dads Club has an upcoming release on Triple You Tapes.
• Dead Dads Club: http://soundcloud.com/survive2012
• Triple You Tapes: http://www.uuutapes.com
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