Dananananaykroyd were quite a band. Edgy, involving, humorous and committed; it was with no shortage of sadness that the world bade farewell to them in 2011. Frenetic lines and up close live work, married to a fearlessly individual approach made them a grand proposition.
Alarm Bells is the new project from most of their previous line-ups. A solid ten people came and went, in their previous incarnation, and these individuals splintered off to create their own rackets in Acrnym, Dolby Anol and Multiplies. It must, also, be stated that Dananananaykroyd left a strong legacy of well thought out, well considered pop-core that pulled no punches, and confronting your bands’ successful past can be daunting.
Luckily, there is no such concerns with Alarm Bells. ‘Speeding Ticket’ is a bewildering mash of pixelated half-colour, miasmal in its explosive imagery. Creating a video this deliberately obtuse in such media-dependant times speaks to a band who are confident enough to let the music speak for itself.
That music is intense, diligently crafted and delivers a huge amount of information in it’s 4:43 timespan. Bits of spazzed Fugazi, OK Go, fast-core drumming and indie delicacy operate as a seemless SWAT team of musical interplay, and though there are inevitable tips of the hat to their previous outfit (John Baillie Jnr’s vocals being a primary focus); this stands alone in its individuality.
Truly exciting stuff, and looking at their other video (the truly surreal ‘Cocoons’), there is an abundance of top stuff due to emerge from this gifted band.