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Member changes and comebacks are all the rage nowadays, but Dance Gavin Dance have run the gammut in that department for the better part of the last decade. With four full-lengths and an EP all released on Rise Records, the band hasn't seen the same lineup in any two of those releases, but that hasn't stopped them from making waves in the post-hardcore/experimental scene. While 2009's Happiness, which saw the band mature with the evolution of former frontman Kurt Travis, was what most would consider a breakout album, many DGD fans were still yearning for the band to return to the unmistakable and unique sound the band displayed on their debut full-length Downtown Battle Mountain. Only problem with that is that both vocalists who graced DBM (screamer Jon Mess and embattled singer Johnny Craig) weren't even in the band anymore. Not to fret, as the band announced in mid 2010 that they would be reuniting with Craig and Mess to record the highly-demanded Downtown Battle Mountain II. Two things were certain as the band went into recording for the album: one, that the pressure was on the band to deliver another scene classic, and two, there was really no way to predict what the album would sound like.
There are two ways to look at Downtown Battle Mountain II: the first would be the way loyal DGD fans will look at it, and how everyone else (including the casual DGD fan, or a DGD fan who liked either the band's self-titled or Happiness more than DMBI) will view it. Either way is completely fine, but opinions on DMBII will undoubtedly vary. Fans of DBMI will see it as a bit of a letdown from the mammoth-sized shoes the first Mountain filled, but that's not to say there isn't anything worth noting about II. The album, as a whole, feels like more of a progression from Happiness than DBMI, which isn't all that bad: both of those albums had their strong points, and have caused a debate between fans about which is the more definitive DGD release.
The truth about DBM2, however, is that it's simply just another DGD album: spastic, fast-paced, and a little too out of focused for the band to ascend into the upper echelon of their scene, whatever that may be. The songs are certainly a breath of fresh are in comparison to what you're used to hearing from every other Rise Records band (except for new signees Transit, Man Overboard, and A Loss for Words), as the band takes an indie flow to their spastic, almost The Fall of Troy-esque guitar work. The vocals are exactly what you'd expect from Jonny Craig's end: it seems the golden-piped red-head refines his vocals closer to perfection with each of his releases, and DBM2 follows suit. He is outdone, however, by his counterpart, Jon Mess. Mess's distinctive shrill, shreiking screams are the backbone of the album, and produces some of its best lines and moments. Sprinkle in a little of guitarist Will Swan's mellowed out raps (as debuted on "Powder to the People," off of Happiness), and the album finds DGD at its most ambitious state. However, with that ambition comes an abandoning on the progress seen on Happiness, whose melodies added a new layer to the scene-cake Dance Gavin Dance have become.
The bottom line: Your perception of Downtown Battle Mountain II will vary on what side of the fence you're on with the band: fans who longed for Craig's return get what they wanted, but it isn't nearly as good as the neo-classic DBM1, the band's detesters have another album and lineup overhaul to spew venom at on internet message boards, and those who can't pick a side will stay right where they are, wondering if Dance Gavin Dance will ever make another great album to catapult them from "Rise Records Flavor of the Week" to one of the scene's all-time greats.
Recommended if you rock: Dance Gavin Dance's Downtown Battle Mountain or Happiness, The Fall of Troy's Doppelganger.
The truth about DBM2, however, is that it's simply just another DGD album: spastic, fast-paced, and a little too out of focused for the band to ascend into the upper echelon of their scene, whatever that may be. The songs are certainly a breath of fresh are in comparison to what you're used to hearing from every other Rise Records band (except for new signees Transit, Man Overboard, and A Loss for Words), as the band takes an indie flow to their spastic, almost The Fall of Troy-esque guitar work. The vocals are exactly what you'd expect from Jonny Craig's end: it seems the golden-piped red-head refines his vocals closer to perfection with each of his releases, and DBM2 follows suit. He is outdone, however, by his counterpart, Jon Mess. Mess's distinctive shrill, shreiking screams are the backbone of the album, and produces some of its best lines and moments. Sprinkle in a little of guitarist Will Swan's mellowed out raps (as debuted on "Powder to the People," off of Happiness), and the album finds DGD at its most ambitious state. However, with that ambition comes an abandoning on the progress seen on Happiness, whose melodies added a new layer to the scene-cake Dance Gavin Dance have become.
The bottom line: Your perception of Downtown Battle Mountain II will vary on what side of the fence you're on with the band: fans who longed for Craig's return get what they wanted, but it isn't nearly as good as the neo-classic DBM1, the band's detesters have another album and lineup overhaul to spew venom at on internet message boards, and those who can't pick a side will stay right where they are, wondering if Dance Gavin Dance will ever make another great album to catapult them from "Rise Records Flavor of the Week" to one of the scene's all-time greats.
Recommended if you rock: Dance Gavin Dance's Downtown Battle Mountain or Happiness, The Fall of Troy's Doppelganger.
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