Saturday, October 15, 2011

Album Review: Days N' Daze, Ward Off the Vultures Full-Length

So, a couple of months ago I was given a copy of Ward Off the Vultures demo CD.  I was a huge fan of their previous releases, specifically Here Goes Nothin'.  I immediately wanted to write a review for the new demo but was told to wait by Whitney until the full-length version was out, and although it took me a while to get a hold of the full-length (as I do not live in Texas, where this band is from) I am now pleased to write my second review of a Days N' Daze album.

Torches are Calling, the first track, starts Ward Off the Vultures ferociously.   It's only a minute long, but I think I could dance to this track for hours.  It quickly transitions to Coin the Phrase which seems written as a companion song, and I believe they are played together in this manner live as well.  These tracks rip.  They are fast.  They have breakdowns.  The vocals are ridiculously fast.  Jesse (primary vocalist) should consider taking up a hip-hop side project as he would absolutely shame most MCs.  The two-song movement climaxes in some doom-y, encompassing, translucent shrieking.  I wish more folk punk bands were half as ambitious with their vocals.

The third song, Canary in the Coalmine, grooves and is as influenced by ska and punk as by western/southwestern folk music, like most of their songs.  As one of the tracks not on the original demo the recording quality is different here slightly but absolutely good enough to hear what is happening.  I'm really into  the vocal part on this song.  It also brings Whitney in more seriously on the vocals, which I love.  Jesse and Whitney's voices blend wonderfully. 

Asleep at the Wheel introduces fans of the band to the first recorded example of Jesse's expansion to banjo from guitar.  The banjo over-powers a bit, but the haunting gang-vocals provide a meaningful counter.  Fighting against the weight of this other sound the vocals soldier on, seemingly lamenting that you can not hear them as clearly as they deserve to be heard and mirroring the sonic struggle acoustic punk bands face as an inherent part of their identity.

Kick Your Lawyer in the Face totally surprised me.  I was unprepared for the ska-mandolin.  This song also has a lot more empty space in it than a lot of their other songs, which comes as a relief.  This is a really fun song.  This song will make you smile.  This is perhaps the only non-love song by Days N' Daze that is so lighthearted.

Thousands of Fists is almost 6 minutes long, making it the longest the Days N' Daze song (though it's technically two songs), to my knowledge.  Another really beautiful vocal part from DND.  It's rare to find a band that combines such heart wrenching melodic parts with such untamed rage.  The second song on this track was such a pleasant surprise.  It's a rerecording of one of my favorite tracks from Here Goes Nothin' but in a different style and with different instrumentation.  The banjo picking on the second half of this track is classic Kentucky two-finger claw-hammer, or that's my best guess at least.  I'm not sure I've ever heard Whitney's vocals so clearly before, and it's great to be able to hear them. 

Marissa plays piano in DND for the first time on Life in the Vultures Nest, and it's a welcome deviation from their normal fare.  As it is an interlude, I did not expect vocals, but they are totally awesome.  They're arranged in a whispery round over the piano which is both creepy and hopeful.  Creepy is something I'd like to see them do more of.

If you're not dancing through Ties To Another you should probably just go home. You get to hear tonal qualities in Jesse's voice that you normally don't get to.  This is an exciting song.  It's bold.  The tiny choir that makes up DND is what gives it it's most constant indentifying characteristic and also is one of the most exciting things about this band.  They can all sing and scream and do it better than most other people in this genre.

Ah!  The amount of instrumental variation on this album is awesome.  This is definitely not the kind of album where a folk-orchestra was brought in to make thin songs sound lush.  DND already has a thick sound, especially for only having 4 members and being exclusively acoustic.  The variations in tonal qualities that the instrumental arrangement provides lends a gentler hand to what is normally pretty rough fare.  It gives tracks like Highest Bidding Shepard a tenderness that is absolutely appropriate.  This song glitters, but it's still got  teeth. 

Wake Up and Rage! feels tight and shows how well put together this band is.  The quick stops and starts and rhythm changes seem effortless.  Each rhythm change breaths more air into the song.  This is legitimately impressive music.

New Gangland is a good song to have a recording of.  Partly because it's a great song with a great message, but also because at every single live show I've heard this song played at the audience has sung along and gotten the "woah" part wrong.  We can now listen to it in our own spare time, and not suck the next time we decide to sing along (which you undoubtedly will be doing after hearing it).  This song was partly inspired by run-ins that the members have had with gangs and how horrible the phenomenon of modern organized crime can be.  "We're all against the cops but they are not the only ones" are important words that more people in the movement need to hear.  Just because a person breaks the law does not make them an ally. 

Ward Off the Vultures is a song that deserves to be screamed along to.  A beautiful vocal part with Whitney, Marissa, and Jesse singing quickly crescendos to what must be close to the absolute limit of strain for the human voice.  Whitney and Marissa go into this vulture-esque harpy cry which is absolutely distinct, inimitable, and deserves to become legendary.  This is just another reason why DND are easily in the top 5 bands making this kind of music.  This isn't imitation, it's innovation.  If other, more popular folk punk bands have done things which have left a bad taste in your mouth I don't know why you're not already listening to DND.  If you're tired of one guy with an acoustic guitar singing a-tonally who is unaware he's doing a slow Body Count cover, do yourself a solid and give this band a chance.

My favorite song on the album absolutely has to be Now I.  It's great to have such a crisp sounding recording of this song.  For me, this song embodies this period for the band and would be the one song, if I had to choose, that I would play to introduce someone to this band.  It's got lovely slow parts, their signature waltz transition, captivating singing from Jesse and Whitney, and a bit of screaming.  This song has it all.

Finally, Ward Off the Vultures closes after a whopping 14 tracks with Over the Yardarm.  It's a little pirate-y which is something I'm tired of in this genre, but most songs composed in this style are not so well put together or so charismatic.  This song relies not on the style its in to convey feeling and get your attention, but the obvious talent and passion these people have for this style. 

Overall, this is absolutely a step forward for this band, which is astonishing considering where they were stepping from.  This band's ability to grow and innovate dumbfounds me.  This is required reading, kids. 

P.S. Whitney, I miss the ukulele.  It characterized the sound on Here Goes Nothin' and I want more uke.

More info on Days N' Daze can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Days-N-Daze/285673399170

2 comments:

  1. You write pretty. You make the album sounds so irresistibly delicious.

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  2. Cool review, I really enjoyed the personal and conversational style it had, which serves as a great counterpoint to the communal message that this album seems to be going for.

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