That Old KROQ and Roll
Retro. Who needs it? Who wants it? Everyone, to be honest. It’s a mainstay of our culture to reevaluate the trends of the past. That doesn’t mean, however, that these reevaluations will always look and sound the same. The recent past redos of ’70s fuzzy rock have been pretty sleek and shiny. Chromeo comes to mind. The first few seconds of “Twisted Sky,” the first song off of Dana Buoy’s new album Ice Glitter Gold, gives a new thesis. The breathy synth opening along with the colorful and flowery-looking album cover suggests a softness that has been acquired over the years. As the song progresses, however, it becomes clear that the X Ambassadors approved blues sound is alive and well. One would consider Dana Buoy to be another Black Keys sound-alike based off of the first song, but as the album progresses, a lot of interesting musical surprises lie in wait.
Granted, the bluesy sound is a dominant force on Ice Glitter Gold. “Whatever” is another one of those stadium rock anthems. But then there’s that electronic drum kit track on “Colours Out” and then the vocal tremolo effect in the pre-chorus, followed by a – dare-I-say – hip-hop influenced beat during the chorus. Now we’re starting to tread some new waters. Once the ears perk up cautiously, they’re met with the first surprise: the dissonant pad sounds of “Let Go Awhile.” Darkness isn’t a flavor one associates with the modern KROQ retro sound. But, that palette cleanse of muted sirens allows one to step away for a second from that all-too-common squeaky clean “Feel It Still” sound, and be surprised again with the melancholy guitar twang that follows. It’s the first emotionally charged song on Ice Glitter Gold, and hats off to Buoy for pushing the stadium rock genre into something that actually feels larger than life. Modest Mouse comes to mind briefly before the smash of the Black Keys fuzz guitar returns on “Bloom.” The more poppy songs that follow are more interesting, knowing the sensitivity that Buoy can pull off. “Too Early” feels less like a pop song one could hear from a ton of other bands, and touches on a modern sense of vulnerability. It’s subtle, but entirely present.
Ice Glitter Gold is starting to leave a warm impression before “Only One” makes a fantastic musical statement. Another slow, sensitive song proves Buoy’s strength lies in the quieter moments. The gentle layering of the tracks provides a church organ-like quality that puts a tender bow on the album. Mixed with the blues guitar, there are moments in “Only One” that hit a sweet spot of fuzziness that makes the brain light up in response. It’s all subtle, but Buoy shows a potential on Ice Glitter Gold of giving the familiar genre of blues rock a breather to be able to embrace the new sounds that have developed in the past few years.
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