I'm
caught in two minds about this demo. One of my minds thinks
that perhaps Dragonflies Draw Flame (DDF from now on) sound
a bit like another band, but my other more important mind
knows these are awesome songs played by a band who seem
to put so much sweat and tears into their music that I
almost had to wipe the disc clean before it would play
in my stereo. Ah, screw my first mind.
That other band would be early Idlewild, although perhaps
DDF won't thank me for pointing out the similarity.
Early, fiery Idlewild. However, on this showing DDF are
capable of being so good that I don't really care;
this is how Idlewild should have sounded, with angular
post-rock guitars, violently un-produced yet heart-wrenchingly
bare vocals, and starkly pretty soundscapes Jimmy Eat World
might have written a long, long time ago.
Opener "Fierceloud" gets straight down
to business, with guitars to the fore and vocals that sound
like they were belted out on the other side of the room from
the mic, before dropping into a harmonized verse that's
a cracker to sing along to. All start-stop melodic energy,
the raw and honest delivery makes you want to know exactly
what they're singing about (a rare and important commodity)
and the lyrics don't disappoint. Whoever the wordsmith
is for this band certainly knows how to pen a cryptic line
that feels like it means something before you even work out
if it does.
Beginning much more gently, "Crystal Radio" proves
that DDF have a flipside to their bristling guitar charges.
It starts off full of gently sung tunes and harmonised guitar
lines, before gathering momentum and carrying the melody
home with some trademark background shouty vocals.
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