It’s always refreshing when a real character emerges in music. And we’re not talking about just wearing an animal hat and being outspoken (not that we’re ones to indulge in the endless tedious Mau5 bashing mind). Scottish mystery Drums Of Death is another serious talent to rise through the ranks of London’s excellent Greco-Roman label: a hallmark of quality that’s brought through the likes of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and David E. Sugar. He’s fully delivered on what he’s been promising with his debut album – a frenzied, energetic ride into his weird mind.
He’s full of ideas: intro Kareoke is little more than a warped chorus of vocals harmonies creating a dramatic and imposing start, and each track thereafter sees his myriad ideas jostle for position with each other. His voice isn’t particularly conventional, but he uses it in a haunting and effective way, weaving harmonies together beautiful and treating it with brainwarping effects and layering at just the right times.
His swerving of being defined by any one genre is part of what makes him so captivating, blurring the edges between electro, old skool and rock ‘n’ roll aesthetics in a dizzying way. The ghost of raves past lives on strong in his music, in the tight piano stabs of Won’t Be Long and the speed garage bass on Lonely Days The rapid-fire arpeggios and 8-bit warping on Everything All At Once blend with a plump broken beat, contrasting with his dreamy vocals beautifully. London Teeth builds with vocal crescendos creating a hypnotic pull, dropping into a pacey electro frenzy that’s like Deadmau5 stripped back a few layers.
The constant threat of him exploding into a maniacal frenzy gives this album a constant, tense energy – and indeed if you’ve ever seen his live show, you’ll know that when he’s outside the studio he cares not for such a restraint. His songwriting skills are impressive too, full of character and originality, with that schizophrenic edge giving his lyrics and deliveries the feel of a warring internal dialogue between his two egos. This will be too intense a listen for some, but for the rest of us, it’s one of the most original and exciting records of the year.
Don't miss Drums Of Death LIVE at our next party in London on Friday 29th October at The Silver Bullet - tickets just £5 from www.datatransmission.co.uk/party