Dardanelles - Dardanelles (EP)
» Dardanelles Announce Tour - October 1, 2007
» Dardanelles - Spectrum, NSW - October 27, 2007
Having built themselves a following through some compelling live shows over the last 12 months, it is with much anticipation that Melbourne four-piece Dardanelles release their debut EP. Those who have been won over by their potent live act will not be disappointed – this release nicely captures the intensity of their stage performance.
Lyrically, the songs are pretty heavy going. According to the press release, they take as their themes ‘sociopaths, reverse evolution, exile and betrayal, mental illness and spiritual bankruptcy’ respectively – those looking for sunny-day drinking tunes about cars and chicks should probably look elsewhere. Luckily however, some frantic beats and striking guitar work manage to make such seriousness rockingly danceable, in a similar vein to fellow young locals Red Riders (with whom they share a producer) and the Valantinos (with whom they share a record label).
The opening two tracks are probably the strongest in this set. Both are driven by attacking drums and desperate vocals, and feature an amazingly vast guitar sound for a band with one guitarist. Opener Origami Tree is especially well-built, and has been attracting some promising radio support. Track two, Of Course You Said, will please my fellow fans of the hand-clap, with a breakdown section providing enough of the good stuff to tide us over till the next Oasis album.
Third track Instinct is a nice little toe-tapper that channels The Strokes. Water-tight drum and bass sections provide a solid backdrop for the guitars and synth to add personality. Alex Cameron’s lead guitar work is particularly impressive during the chorus - it sounds like there is a party in the upper regions of his fret board and everyone is invited.
The most compelling element of these songs is the space given to the breakdown sections. In each of the first four tracks, the song is stripped down to its bare bones after the second chorus, then slowly built back up again before launching into the finale. The result is a collection of songs that are considerably more interesting that those that revert to the traditional melody-riff-over-chorus-chords in this section.
The boys give their guitars a spell and fire up the laptop on the final track, which is a barely recognisable remix of the opener Origami Tree. Far from the post-punk punch of its four predecessors, the electronic beats and bass grooves of this track are reminiscent of Kraftwerk and Radiohead’s Amnesiac. While it provides a welcome variance to the set, the non-linear wanderings are ultimately fairly forgettable. It would have been nice to see the EP closed with the same vigor that characterised its bulk, rather than something that would probably be more at home as a B-side. In other words, if this EP was an episode of classic Aussie sitcom Hey Dad!, this song would be Nudge – sure, he adds a bit of value to proceedings with a couple of gags and some handy use of the fluro T-shirt, but when its all said and done he’s not really essential to the overall plot.
All in all, this is a very strong release from Dardanelles, who may or may not be named after the bad guy in the black dressing gown from the Smurfs. Or was that Gardanelle? Or Gargamelle? Not sure, clearly I was too busy perving at Smurfette to notice. Wasn’t she a nice bit of crumpet! But that’s for me to deal with in my own time – what’s important right now is that Dardanelles have produced an extremely promising debut, which although not perfect, certainly makes for an interesting listen and whets the appetite for future releases.
