The first time I heard Dance Gavin Dance was when Downtown Battle Mountain was released. I was visiting Graywhale Music, my favorite music haunt in the downtown area of Salt Lake City, and they were playing it over the record shop speakers – it blew me away.
Johnny Craig’s vocals were so soft and that they clashed and complimented beautifully with Jon Mess’ screaming and the heavy fast and hard beats laid down by the original lineup of Will Swan, Sean O’Sullivan, Eric Lodge, and Matt Mingus. But alas Johnny Criag is no longer with the band. Of the band’s 7 albums he was actually only responsible for the vocal stylings on Whatever I say Is Royal Ocean, Downtown Battle Mountain and Downtown Battle Mountain II.
The vocals on Instant Gratification are currently being handled by Tilian Pearson and it was jarring when I first loaded up the album. His voice is higher pitched, more lilting and delicate than Craig’s. Pearson’s voice has a delicate nature to it that borders on being completely out of place, but in the end actually works with the direction the band has taken and despite the drastic change I find myself really enjoying this album.
First listen through Instant Gratification I was skeptical and I was focusing so much on how much different Pearson’s voice was from Craig’s that on the first listen through the album I didn’t really listen to any song as a whole and I let myself be distracted by the differences that I didn’t pay any attention at all to the way their new sound and Pearson’s voice work so well together to create something enjoyable.
The opening track “We Own The Night” ends up being a fantastic introduction for Pearson. It shows off his vocal range and sets the tone for the new direction of Dance Gavin Dance. Which is not to say that there aren’t classic elements throughout the band because “Stroke, God Millionaire” would easily been right at home on Downtown Battle Mountain orDowntown Battle Mountain II, the organized chaos of “Something New” could have fit into sections of Downtown Battle Mountain and “Awkward” could have fit in as a bonus track on the self titled album Dance Gavin Dance.
Tracks like “On The Run,” “Shark Dad,” “Legend,”and “Death of a Strawberry” have an updated / newer feel to them that brings out some new characteristics in the band’s overall sound and starts to paint a picture of where Dance Gavin Dance will be going in the future and, to be honest, I like it. I like what’s happening with Dance Gavin Dance right now and I’m excited to see where they keep going.
Rating: 4.25/5