{"id":44279,"date":"2014-08-16T15:18:26","date_gmt":"2014-08-16T20:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=44279"},"modified":"2014-08-17T09:23:23","modified_gmt":"2014-08-17T14:23:23","slug":"dog-fashion-disco-sweet-nothings-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/dog-fashion-disco-sweet-nothings-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog Fashion Disco | Sweet Nothings<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller<\/span>
\n– Managing Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"DogOne of the most weirdly awesome bands in the world are back, releasing a brand new studio album after an eight-year hiatus called Sweet Nothings<\/em>. Yes, that band is Dog Fashion Disco (DFD). Their seventh release is better than being the \u201cvultures that peck out your eyes.\u201d (See, crazy! Those are their lyrics, and it gets so, so much better \u2026)<\/p>\n

You can try to classify DFD but it\u2019s nigh impossible. They get lumped in with bands like Faith No More, which is fair to a certain point, but it doesn\u2019t scratch the surface any better than a scalpel on a bloody coconut. DFD is extreme in every way \u2026 meaning they can play a pop, syrupy hit song, while the next song is closer to death metal, and the next song could be a jazz composition. There\u2019s no boundaries with them in the past, and the present is no different. <\/p>\n

You would think that after eight years, the band would want to come out and wallop you in the head with a polkadot cadaver. You\u2019d think they\u2019d have their knives out. Instead, \u201cGreta\u201d is a solemn, brooding keyboard composition. One thing that always makes DFD stand out is the lyrics, from the insanely creative singer and lyricist Todd Smith. It will amaze you that his lyrics are as flexible as his voice. When he sings \u201cLove made me a leper \u2026 it\u2019s bad for my health,\u201d you believe it. The tone of his voice carries longing and fear; it\u2019s all eerily believable. You get a sax solo from Matt Rippetoe and just from the start you know, keep expectations in your pocket. You can\u2019t know what\u2019s next. <\/p>\n

Of course, they weren\u2019t going to lay out two mid-tempo songs in a row, so you get \u201cWar Party\u201d next. John Ensminger\u2019s drumming is battle-ready. It\u2019s violent and brutal. You get circus like keys in sections, and heavy riffing in other parts. The chorus is a shouting declaration, but the quirkiest part is when it turns into a metal version of Billy Joel\u2019s \u201cWe Didn\u2019t Start the Fire.\u201d When Smith starts tearing into this passage \u201cNapalm-Cyanide-Burning bodies-piled high-Hiroshima-Vietnam-Jesus Christ-Islam-Cold War-Communism-Palestine-Zionism-Holocaust-genocide-mass decay-suicide,\u201d your blood will boil. But this is anti-war sentiment all the way, so if you have a gun, unload it. <\/p>\n

Get out your jazzy disco pants because \u201cDoctor\u2019s Orders\u201d will have you dancing like you just shat your pants. This is the side of the band that always amazes. If you listen to an older DFD song like \u201cBaby Satan\u201d you\u2019d not know the same band wrote\/performed \u201cDoctor\u2019s Orders\u201d unless you are already a fan. The funky song still hits you with lyrics like \u201cSuicide was once my valentine; now she\u2019s laying beside me under the sun.\u201d It\u2019s maybe not a track you\u2019ll go back to as often as some of the others, but the talent and musicianship is laudable. <\/p>\n

But \u2018cmon \u2026 vultures! \u201cEnvy the Vultures\u201d is the kind of metal anthem you were waiting for when you knew DFD released new music. The clanky, heavy, rage-filled song almost makes you uncomfortable, both from the jarring musicality but the weird seizure-inducing interludes. The chorus is brilliant: \u201cI envy the vultures, no conscience inside. All they can eat just as soon as it dies.\u201d <\/p>\n

DFD does have a sense of humor, although it\u2019s covered in gore and usually bleak as hell. Ladies and gentlemen, \u201cWe Aren\u2019t the World\u201d! The song crescendos after a couple of sedate, droning choruses, but then the song expands to a damnation dissection as Smith sings \u201cWe aren\u2019t the world, we aren\u2019t the children. We are anesthetized as we multiply.\u201d It gets all circus-y again towards the end, and Smith sings in a harsh rant \u201cMay you choke on your tongue! May your blood fill the streets!\u201d Like \u201cEnvy the Vultures,\u201d this is one of the best tracks on Sweet Nothings.<\/p>\n

Versatility abounds when you land on the title track, \u201cSweet Nothing.\u201d It almost has a \u201cdance\u201d beat, meaning \u2026 yeah, sort of a club vibe. What do you expect from a band you can\u2019t define? You feel both dirty and groovy when you sing along to lines like \u201cSweet nothings whispered in my ear, tell me all you crave, now tell me your fears \u2026 tell me your desires, not what I want to hear.\u201d Seeing\/hearing this in a live setting has to be musical perfection. <\/p>\n

It all wraps up on the bluesy, acoustic song \u201cEnd of the Road.\u201d (See how they did that?) Speaking of versatility, you\u2019ve heard Stepp play solos and churning riffs but this is lets him show acoustic chops. With keys, horns, and sing-song lyrics, it feels like a Southern hymnal at times. It\u2019s purposeful, especially when you hear \u201cBut I feel that pale death creeping in \u2026 this must be the dead end of the road,\u201d sung in a hymn style. <\/p>\n

And the artwork \u2026 did you see the artwork? That\u2019s somehow a visual metaphor for what you\u2019ll hear on the album \u2026 slathering rage, ghostly and airy nuances, innocence gone rabid, dashes of melodic color painted over groaning homogeneity, and a funky handwritten band title to foreshadow the grooves and jazz interspersed throughout. <\/p>\n

Sweet Nothings<\/em> is everything. <\/p>\n

Genre: Circus Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nTodd Smith-vocals
\nJasan Stepp-guitars
\nJohn Ensminger-drums
\nTim Swanson-keyboards
\nBrian White-bass
\nMatt Rippetoe-sax, woodwinds<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tGreta
\n2.\tWar Party
\n3.\tScarlet Fever
\n4.\tTastes So Sweet
\n5.\tDoctor\u2019s Orders
\n6.\tEnvy the Vultures
\n7.\tApproach and Recede
\n8.\tDown the Rabbit Hole
\n9.\tWe Aren\u2019t the World
\n10.\tStruck by Lightning
\n11.\tSweet Nothings
\n12.\tPale Horse
\n13.\tEnd of the Road<\/p>\n

Label: Rotten Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.facebook.com\/dogfashiondisco<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.1\/10<\/p>\n

Follow Derric on Twitter @millerwriter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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