🎶 2022-04-21 15:00:00 – Paris/France.
Photo: Polocho | DC Fountains
Irish bands Fontaines DC are part of the recent wave of bands (including IDLES, black midi and Sleaford Mods) from across the Atlantic who have embraced the punk and post-punk roots of their home country, only to discover as much, if not more, of an audience for her in the United States. Proudly patriotic and remarkably cultured, Fountains DC names Irish authors and poets in their songs of search and moodiness.
His debut in 2019, Dogrel, is arguably the band's best work to date. Fans of early Arctic Monkeys will find similar courage in Dublin's well-defined personality and proud regional accent. Grounded, raw, self-aware and uninhibited, the Mercury Prize nominee Dogrel came with such gems as the one-two punch of 'Boys In The Better Land' referencing James Joyce and the frenetic beats of 'Hurricane Laughter'.
Second Fontaines DC album, 2020s The death of a herowhich earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album, came quick on the heels of Dogrel. As one might expect, The death of a hero focused on the young band's experience on the road and the dissociation that accompanies rapid escalation through the musical ranks. There are moments of exquisite Joy Division melancholy on "Love Is The Main Thing" and pure rage on Iggy Pop-inspired "Living In America." But The death of a hero lost the unique perspective of Dogrelas well as the charm of its rough styling, traded in for a more polished and produced sound.
On his third album, Lean fia (an old Irish curse phrase that loosely translates to "the damnation of the stag"), Fountains DC takes yet another predictable turn, that of a band now physically estranged from their hometown. The benefit of this is to look at Ireland from the perspective of distance (via London, England, the band members' current city of residence) and to tap into the anti-Irishness towards their country's diaspora from origin — something DC Fountains experiments with both micro and macro aggression—for lyrical fodder. If only the music rose to meet this fertile material.
The group indeed draws the majority of the musical influences on Lean fias of 90s London. Electronic experimentations in the style of Primal Scream and Death In Vegas are heard on the title track and “Big Shot”. These are joined by more '90s American influences like Mazzy Star (and early '2000s ones like The Strokes) on "Bloomsday" and "How Cold Love Is." More than anything, however, Lean fiaThe labored progression and miserable overtones of come across as cut-price versions of the cold gothic vibes of Bauhaus and the aforementioned claustrophobic Joy Division vocals, but without the benefit of the latter group's inimitable bass lines.
This kaleidoscope of influences plays against Fontaines DC, a group at its peak when its identity boldly asserts itself, as during the Dogrel time. Catastrophism Lean fia still contains sound milestones, like “Jackie Down The Line”. It's a song about just being bad, as vocalist Grian Chatten heartlessly exults over jubilant Johnny Marr-esque guitar riffs: "I don't think so / We'd rhyme / I'll make your secrets mine / I'll will hate you / I'll debase you / I'm Jackie all the way. The cruelty is palpable.
'I love you', which also tops the others, is not about a person, but rather about Ireland itself. Despite the catchy title, nationalism has never sounded more romantic than when Chatten proclaims, "I love you / Imagine a world without you / It's only you / I only think of you / What if is a blessing / I want it for you. Echoes of Stone Roses' "I Wanna Be Adored" underscores its lyrics, "If I gotta have a future/I want it with you." These feelings can easily be attributed to all objects of affection, but especially to human objects.
What Made Fountains DC Stand Out Dogrel– the narrative centered around Irish identity propelled by ball rock – is exactly what gets lost Lean fia. The identity that used to be the band's calling card is now the whipping on tracks like "Roman Holiday" (sometimes a doppelganger for Echo And The Bunnymen's "Killing Moon") where, as transplants, Fontaines DC seek l acceptance and belonging. On the opening of the tale "In ár gCroíthe go deo", once removed from Ireland, Irish pride is decimated and replaced by mistrust. Pogo-ready beats gave way to static walls of guitar and a monotonous vocal delivery that drags, rather than drives, the album.
Fontaines DC continues to attract new listeners with each album, but the band never lived up to early praise. Yet somehow they have a twisted finger in the hearts of those fans who come to terms with the band's diminishing returns and lack of delivery, swallowing the disappointment and embracing the music that succeeds. Like the band itself, they hope for better next time.
SOURCE: Reviews News
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