Welcome to the third installment of my semi-irregular series Rock ‘N Mailbag! For a few months now, I’ve been getting solicitations via email from independent artists wishing me to review their albums. I’m not sure how these people are finding me, but rather than dismiss them, I’ve decided to listen to them and give them a little love.
I got an email back in January from a Washington D.C. band called Dot Dash asking me if I wanted to give away copies of their single “Shopworn Excuse.” Their bandcamp profile lists them as a “post punk pop band.” I’ll be honest, I really don’t know what that means…to me Dot Dash are a pop band, plain and simple. I can see why folks would have trouble with, the term “pop” has devolved into this really negative Britney Spears-connotation over the past 10+ years. But that’s what Dot Dash is: they’re a pop band.
“Shopworn Excuse” is a pleasant, sun-shiny song with just enough jangle to keep it from being too sugary. The dark lyrics also provide a nice contrast to the fizzy pop. Dot Dash remind me a bit of Swedish poppers Acid House Kings mixed with Jon Brion Why don’t you do me a favor and give “Shopworn Excuse” a listen and chime-in in the comments section. I hopped on Spotify and checked out the rest of their album, HALF-REMEMBERED DREAM, and found it to have an even stronger 90’s brit-pop flavor than “Shopworn Excuse” led me to believe. I particularly like “Bloom/Decay” and the hyper-literary”Fiction Section.” I was on the fence about these guys, but the album sold me. HALF-REMEMBERED DREAM is a great little pop gem, a true diamond in the rough.
Check out “Shopworn Excuse” and chime in with your thoughts in the comments section.
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