After the return of vocalists Jonny Craig and Jon Mess, Dance Gavin Dance released their new album, “Downtown Battle Mountain 2,” on March 9.
“Downtown Battle Mountain 2” is the comeback that old DGD fans have been waiting for. It combines the best things from each of the band’s eras: the original “Downtown Battle Mountain” vocal style, the funk used in “Happiness” and the songwriting from “The Death Star” album. While every track has its good and bad points, the highlights for this record are “Bounce Pounce,” “The Robot With Human Hair pt. 2-1/2,” “Thug City” and “Swan Soup.”
DGD is back on top with the return of both original vocalists. Despite being one of the most egotistical persons on the face of the earth, Jonny Craig is at the top of his game on this new record. His voice is even smoother than his latest work with his past band, Emarosa. Jon Mess’ voice, however, sounds like his last name; while it is surely different than what most screamers have out there, it is very monotonous and gets old pretty quick.
The overall sound of the album is very energetic. Each track is fast paced and only slows down for short momentum builds and even a few breakdowns.
According to Ultimate-Guitar.com, Mess admitted in an interview that most of the lyrics on this record were written for artistic flow rather then for creating an overall “meaning.” This is pretty obvious since in the album’s first single, “Heat Seeking Ghost of Sex,” Mess screams, “Don’t be tardy for my leaky Barbie TV party pee in the park.” Excuse me? While these lyrics make absolutely NO sense, the delivery more than makes up for the lack of meaningful content.
DGD has always had a different sound from other Rise Records bands, and the originality definitely scores for them in this album. Original, unfortunately, does not always mean better. The main issue for me in this album is the several “rap” moments (yeah, you read that right). These sections are awkward, random and really do not fit in this style of music. It is not very surprising, though, since Craig is a big rap fan. Regardless, rap should be separated from a DGD record.
“Downtown Battle Mountain 2” earns a 3.5 out of 5 because while it may not be the best choice for a new fan’s first DGD record, it is a great album for past fans to pick up. Check out Dance Gavin Dance’s new album, “Downtown Battle Mountain 2,” on iTunes, or give their old work a listen on the band’s MySpace.
Oh, and one more thing: This album does NOT come with a free MacBook.
