The Basics - Stand Out Fit In
(2007)

Review by Sean Lynch

From the opening moments of "Granddance", the latest album from Sydney outfit Dappled Cities Fly, you could swear that you were having a severe case of "Am I listening to The Shins?" amnesia.

And for the most part, you wouldn't be far off. While DCF may be locals, there is definitely a familiar tone to their sweet and hypnotic tunes. Much like a lot of the music coming out of California these days (you'll hear a good number of similarities to bands like Weezer, The Shins, Hello Goodbye or The Thrills) the latest tunes from DCF are remarkably catchy, and remarkably indie.

The opening track Holy Chords is a mix of sweet melody and uplifting rock, with Fire Fire Fire an upbeat sure fire hit.

Current single, Vision Bell, is stupidly catchy and is currently receiving a good deal of air play on Triple J at present - which will no doubt bring the "Indie" fans out of the woodwork.

The big surprise here is the way that DCF have made their way through the ranks. Relatively unknown outside of their hometown of Sydney (where they have become one of the premium Sydney based bands within the live scene), a sole-support role with Silverchair on their latest tour has given the guys a national profile.

Add to this, a very cool "Double Headline" tour with fellow Sydney-siders, Red Riders, in which the headline band will be determined by the toss of a coin at the beginning of the night. It's fast becoming one of the hottest tickets in town - due largely to the fact that the DCF are heading across to the US soon after. Yep - you've heard it here first, there is a very good chance that Australia will have another US success story on it's hands.

But back to the album.

There is a tendency for "Granddance" to merge into the mundane about a third of the way through, with the only thing to really keep your interest is to play the game "Who's The Musical Influence". Yep, there are numerous influences here - which often border or blatant impersonations. From the aforementioned The Shins, to The Smiths, The Cure it's pretty much all in here. Battletown sounds like an Australian Idol contestant doing their best to sound like their idol.

That's not to say that "Granddance" is bad. In fact, it's one of the most enjoyable albums I've heard this year - it's just it can, on occasions, border on familiar. Similarities to rock legends aside, it must be said that this is one proffesional sounding album. It's slick, it's smooth, and one could be forgiven for not even being aware that these guys hail from the same place as Crocodile Dundee.

Extra points must also be given for the awesome art work - as well as the limited edition double CD with a few extra tracks on there (all of which are a great example of how polished and professional "Granddance" sounds).

Well worth your money.

RATING: 3 out of 5