Die! Die! Die! - Album Review: This Is Not An Island Anymore
Die! Die! Die! cut their musical teeth in Dunedin many years ago and promptly set about conquering the world.
This new release, This Is Not An Island Anymore is just as acerbic as their first releases. Drummer Michael Prain and bass player Lachlan Anderson are a tight unit, staying in synch through mathematically tricky tempo changes.
There’s one thing which really stands out on this 9-song 20 minute album, and that's how much more Andrew Wilson’s vocals are audible with comprehensible words. It’s refreshing, and in my opinion it really adds to the songs.
The album opens up with the title track, which builds in intensity, while the pace remains plodding and brooding, like when someone is running, but you have them cornered so you have no need to hurry.
Track two, Is Darren There, is more in the more traditional Die! Die! Die! vein - raw, fast, and visceral.
I love song three; the 55 second long Takaparawhau, it reminds me of bands like The Dead C. It features layered guitars, rippling like water, and it's as close as Die! Die! Die! ever get to a pop song. The next track Losing Sight, Keep On Kicking is a killer track, with an equally fantastic, albeit brutal video.
8 Months In The Lighthouse is a longer tune, at 3:39 duration. It opens in a menacing style and has the equally menacing lyrics "don’t judge me by my actions, I was just following orders". As a songwriter I’m always interested to know what the inspiration was.
15 Years follows, and I'm sure it will be a crowd favourite when played live; with its plodding, head nodding tempo possibly the most un-complicated I’ve ever heard Michael drum. There are also a few of his trademark fills towards the end.
Never Tire Looking At The Sun, is classic Die! Die! Die!; short, sharp, and to the point with a central lyrical phrase which is repeated.
The closing title is almost as long as the song: Imagine (Spending So Long Making Other People Feel Like Shit) and it’s a doozy. I wonder who it’s about. At one point the glorious raucous noise drops out and Andrew casually says, "You’re not a very nice person". It’s a great way to leave the album, and leave the listener wondering; who was that about?
About Die! Die! Die!
In the year since their first show together they played over 100 shows including three tours (each) of New Zealand and Australia, and one small one of USA.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Die! Die! Die!
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