Since Dance Gavin Dance’s early days, the sounds of Jonny Craig hitting unheard of notes in contrast with this meaty barking from Jon Mess became a sound everyone has craved. So throughout the various line-up changes, the introduction of Tilian Pearson as a permanent vocalist was met with a public curioisity. However, from ‘Strawberry Swisher Pt. 3’ to ‘Stroke God, Millionaire’ it has started to hit me that there’s a reason this band is seven albums deep and still firing out hits. ‘Mothership’ is Dance Gavin Dance’s latest release and while there’s zero chance of you putting this album on and hearing something you’d never expect, what is on offer is the band in their finest form.
Tilian’s rise is cemented after hearing ‘Deception’, the fifth song on ‘Mothership’. If not for his honest lyricism filled with flirtatious metaphor and scandalous one-liners, there’s a passion for his own message oozing from his raspy thrills and addictive highs. The soulful gospel that most fans first fell in love with in ‘Downtown Battle Mountain’ is returning as Pearson is finding his footing on the constantly quaking ground that follows Dance Gavin Dance.
On the previous two albums Tilian was a fresh face in the cult band and although he possessed a wealth of experience (writing with Saosin or singing with Tides Of Man), it was obvious that the band relied on Mess as a crutch, making both ‘Acceptance Speech’ and ‘Instant Gratification’ albums lacking in clean vocals and therefore the final ingredient that turns Dance Gavin Dance from just another talented hardcore band into the very individual experience that the band really is. This is finally rectified on ‘Mothership’
It’s a known fact that the driving force behind this act is the partnership between guitarist Will Swan and drummer Matt Mingus. A mutual musical mind and unlimited talent, the work that goes in behind the vocals of the songs on ‘Mothership’ is enough to make this album worth your time. ‘Inspire The Liars’, for example, is a well-paced four and a half-minute offering of Dance Gavin Dance at their strongest where the chaos of varying melodies rides on the wave of Mingus’ complex percussion.
Album opener ‘Chucky vs Giant Tortoise’ possesses the nursery rhyme vibe which early songs like ‘Blue Dream’ and ‘Times New Roman’ found a home in. The first song on the album introduces the level of production as is becoming more common with Dance Gavin Dance albums. It’s subtle but enough to add a silky finish to the organised chaos hiding behind their producer, Kris Crumpet.
Inevitably, the album has its issues. Thirteen songs is in no way too much to expect from an album, however moments of intricate musicality become instantly forgettable due to the lacklustre formula this band somehow slumps into, as becomes apparent in ‘Petting Zoo Justice’, an adrenaline-fuelled hardcore song which turns into heartless filler.
However, where this band fails with originality it fixes with pure showmanship, and when an act can stand the test of time, scoring higher and higher with each release, there’s an amount of respect due and an inevitable curiosity that should come from those who hear of Dance Gavin Dance for the first time 11 years after their formation.
MAX GAYLER