It is
probably because I have been studying emo, but it has occurred to me that Dads
would have fit comfortably into the DC origins, like maybe they could play a
show with Beefeater. They actually do list emo on their Facebook page, along
with indie and punk. That sounds about right, but does not do much to tell you
what a show sounds like.
There are
only two people on stage: Scott Scharinger on guitar and John Bradley on drums.
Sometimes Bradley sings, sometimes Scharinger, but Bradley does most of the
talking.
That
description may lead you to imagine something stripped down, like the White
Stripes, but Dads is nothing like the White Stripes. Their sound is full, and
the stage seems full, some of which may be due to Bradley's loose-limbed
playing style. I'm not sure if he actually plays so much differently, or if
it's just that I don't often get a good look at the drummer, but it was
interesting to see, and it worked. The two of them were greater than the sum of
their parts.
The music
has a fair amount of variation, which I believe comes from a willingness to
experiment. This is most evident on Brown on Brown, parts of which
remind me of whale songs, and sometimes the ocean, but not generally at the
same time. I thought there was effective use of feedback.
My favorite
album has been American Radass (This Is Important). It is a bit livelier,
though Brush Your Teeth Again ;) is fun to listen to, and has really
interesting song structures. For Radass, I especially like the
fast pace on "Groin Twerk" and the intro on "Grunt Work (The '69
Sound)".
At this
point, there may be a false impression about the prevalence of parentheses in
their titles. There is really only one other title that does it, also on Radass.
However, it is worth mentioning the titles, because there is a contrast going
on, where the titles often sound humorous, but the music sounds very serious.
There may be a hint in the Facebook address, but I didn't get the impression that
was it either.
The other
thing I should mention is that there is some jumping around if you want to make
purchases. Music downloads would be through Bandcamp. This is pretty normal,
and prices are very reasonable.
If you want
CDs, you go through http://www.sswatcher.jp/record/show/1713?p=1&q=dads&a=,
but vinyl is through http://flannelgurl.bigcartel.com/product/dads-american-radass-this-is-important-12-inch,
and other materials are through http://dads.storenvy.com/. It's probably not a
big deal, because I think most music buyers would stick to one format, but it
can be a little confusing.
My only
other thought is that they should get together with Vinyl Over Wine.
https://twitter.com/wearentdads
UPDATE: Just heard from Dads that Brown on Brown is not them. That means all the better stuff is them, but that also means there are four different entities listed as Dads on Spotify, and they are not well-delineated.
UPDATE: Just heard from Dads that Brown on Brown is not them. That means all the better stuff is them, but that also means there are four different entities listed as Dads on Spotify, and they are not well-delineated.
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