That said, I did see DDG in concert back in June at NxNE, and they all looked exactly like they do in the video they released for “Bedroom Eyes” – the first single from their new LP. I didn’t know much, if any, of their music, but they weren’t offensive to my musical sensibilities. For me, they seem to be a solid, albeit un-memorable, band. Maybe Only In Dreams will help change that perception.
Dum Dum Girls // Bedroom Eyes [mp3] from Only In Dreams
![Dum Dum Girls Only in Dreams cover [mp3] Dum Dum Girls // Bedroom Eyes](http://tympanogram.com/files/Dum-Dum-Girls-Only-in-Dreams-cover.jpg "Dum Dum Girls Only in Dreams cover")
Dum Dum Girls were one of the big indie buzz bands of 2010. Their debut I Will Be was full of classic sounding, C86 indebted indie pop which, whilst highly enjoyable, would have made you wonder if they really had any staying power. There is, after all, a constant stream of classic sound, C86 indebted indie pop around these days. It’s almost impossible to distinguish one long haired, cardigan-wearing, sepia toned hipster chick from the next, and I personally had Dum Dum Girls pegged as some Pitchfork favored one-hit wonders.
Well, the past few months have proven me sensationally wrong. For now at least. Dee Dee and Co. have been dolling out tantalizing cuts of brilliance since March, when their EP He Gets Me High and it’s stonking eponymous single were released. A throbbing, fuzzy riff and angelic close harmonies took everything that made their debut so adorable and stepped it up a notch. There was nothing revolutionary going on, but the song writing on display was just sublime. And sometimes, that’s all you want!
Well, the same can be said of “Bedroom Eyes,” the lead single from forthcoming album Only In Dreams. It’s catchy, playful, lovelorn and drenched in reverb. The Chrissie Hynde comparisons will be in full flow when listening to this, but this is just a quality song. I fail to see what could lead someone not to love it. The chorus is just perfect. It’s the kind of song I listen to and think “Why is this only going round in indie circles? Everyone would love this!” So get it, love it and sing it.
Only In Dreams is out September 26th via Sub Pop. If “Bedroom Eyes” and He Gets Me High are anything to go by, we’ve got a shoo-in for the end of year lists here.
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Dum Dum Girls // Bedroom Eyes [mp3] from the forthcoming Only In Dreams
![Cults at Lees Palace NXNE 2011 [stream] NxNE Recap // Cults](http://tympanogram.com/files/Cults-at-Lees-Palace-NXNE-2011.jpg "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA")
Since the first swells of hype, to the waves that have kept coming since, I have maintained a somewhat conflicted relationship with Cults. I probably should have purchased their Go Outside 7″ from Forest Family when it was first pressed, if only for the nostalgia. I didn’t quite subscribe to the hype at the time; the primary reason I didn’t being that I don’t particularly enjoy its title track. As it stands, “Go Outside” is still my least favorite track the band has produced to date. Plus that unofficial video from MTV was rather terrible.
These things played into my tepid expectations for the full length, despite the intrigue of listening to something new that was garnering widespread praise. What appeal the new record did have was enhanced knowing the band would be playing NxNE, and that I would likely be in attendance. All of the chatter surrounding the record, that they signed to a major label quickly, was never an issue as far as I was concerned, and to me, rebuke they received for doing so was naive.
The band played Friday evening at Lee’s Palace on a night they shared the stage with Dirty Beaches and Dum Dum Girls amongst others. In a live setting the immediate reaction is how integral Madeline Follin is to the band’s appeal. I swear I said this twenty times, likely much to the chagrin of Rich, Andy and Matt. But it’s true. She doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the outfit, but they wouldn’t have an ace without her vocals. The backing band is in flux, and while the songs have a lot to like, it’s Follin’s vocals that set things apart.
While the band’s live set was far from earth shattering, it was crisp and is clearly still being worked on. In fact I read an New York Magazine interview where Oblivion said as much. What it did do was give a new perspective on many of the songs I enjoyed from the record. Since the show, I’ve played the record in its entirety several times a day trying to recreate the sounds of the live show that are stuck in my head, and I’m quite smitten. Since the record is what I have to animate the distinct recollections of the show from my faulty beer-addled memory, it’ll certainly suffice.
(Photo from show courtesy of Sidewalk Hustle)
![dumdum [mp3] Dum Dum Girls // He Gets Me High](http://tympanogram.com/files/dumdum.jpg "[mp3] Dum Dum Girls // He Gets Me High")
Dum Dum Girls were very much part of 2010′s peculiar obsession with taking sweetness, light and 60′s girl groups, then ramming them through 11 different levels of static, distortion and drug induced haze. When the haze cleared as we moved into 2011, I was wondering which hyped up acts from the year just gone would amount to something more than mere “buzz band” status. It may we a wee bit too early to say, but it looks like 2011 is going to be just as good a year for Dum Dum Girls as 2010.
Their debut album I Will Be was, as I’ve hinted, full of delightfully fuzzy indie pop tunes which bundled The Ramones and The Shangri-Las into one heady package. Now, they’ve got a new EP on the way, entitled He Gets Me High. The title track has been made available, and it certainly builds on the promise of their debut. The sound is still rooted in catchy melodies, girl-group harmonies and bouncy rhythms, but it seems to have taken a heavier direction. The verses feature a fantastically grimy descending guitar/bass line that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a Nirvana track. In contrast with the heavier guitar sounds, the lead vocals are crystal clear and lightly dusted with reverb, moving away from the lo-fi sound of previous recordings. This makes Dee Dee Penny’s naturally seductive voice come out even clearer, especially in the dazzlingly catchy chorus. It’s the kind you’ll sing under your breath without even realising – “He gets me hiiiiiigh!”
Hopefully there are good things to come from Dum Dum Girls this year. They can certainly write a cracking tune, and artists have built whole careers on less than that!
[mp3] Dum Dum Girls // He Gets Me High
![Frankie Rose [mp3] Frankie Rose and the Outs Youre No Good (Dee Dee Warwick cover)](http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/Frankie_Rose.jpg "[mp3] Frankie Rose and the Outs Youre No Good (Dee Dee Warwick cover)")
In case you haven’t seen it yet, we took part in this month’s Hype Machine Radio, which happened to go up today. Yesterday I wrote about Gamble House and the song of theirs I chose for inclusion “Second to None.” The wonderful editing team for Hype Radio managed to make me sound alright in my segment, so for that I thank them.
Related to that activity was the involvement of another blog from Vancouver, BC., Chipped Hip in the same September edition of Hype Radio. Alex from that site chose a track from Frankie Rose and the Outs to highlight, entitled “Little Brown Haired Girls.” Andy previously wrote about that track here on our site a while ago, so I’ve got another one from the band via Aquarium Drunkard that will be part of (or at least teaser for) an all girl-group mixtape they happen to be putting together. If you’ve listened to any of Frankie Rose’s previous bands, Dum Gum Girls/Vivian Girls/Crystal Stilts, you’ll have an idea of what you’re in for. This particular track is a cover of an old Dee Dee Warwick song, sung in a style all the rage these days.
Frankie Rose and the Outs – You’re No Good (Dee Dee Warwick cover) (mp3)
