There might not have been many people who managed to stay attentive during history lessons, but those who did can broadly be split into two groups. Firstly were those who became fixated with the atrocities of war, the needless loss of the life, the broad arching politics that made such devastation seem both inevitable and necessary. And then there were those who spent their time flicking through textbooks, looking for the weirder stuff. If you fit into the latter, it’s probable that you’ve already come across the wonderful quirk that were Dazzle Ships before.
If you’re the kind of person who spends the quieter moments of their afternoon flicking round the backwaters of the internet for good new music, it’s likely that you’ve already come across the band Dazzle Ships before, as the best blogs from around the web have already been hot on their tail. Boyfriend/Girlfriend combos have become about as regular as mysterious electronic acts, but rarely do they produce anything like Tyler Haran and Hatii de Leon. Given the quality of their music, the rave reviews are highly unsurprising – as the duo utilise the kind of angular riffs it was thought had died with The Stranglers heyday in the early 80′s, teaming them with neon melodies and brooding vocal work. Hints of appreciation of those that have come before and in abundance, but these are bright, vivid songs that demand attention.
Technological advances pretty much made the camouflage technique of Dazzle all but useless by the time of the Second World War, whereas a lot of bands these days are just about useless before they reach a second post on pitchfork. Wonderfully, Dazzle Ships sound a bit more immune to this throwaway culture by making a racket that’s both arresting and layered, one of the dwindling amount of acts about still doing anything innovative that’s even remotely guitar-led. Probably not as inventive as putting stripes on a warship, but still.
Dazzle Ships – Least Resistance [download from stereogum]
