If there was ever a band that could get you pumped up about absolutely anything, it was Dananananaykroyd. Which is why it’s such a shame that they recently announced their break-up. They’ll be sorely missed, and after reading this, you’ll understand why.
Their latest album, There Is A Way, is full of punchy hooks and thumping drums, racing guitars, poppy riffs, screams and wails – and it’s a bit of a contradiction on first listen. How can something so catchy be so rough and assaulting? It’s almost like having someone charge at you with their fist raised, only to have them shake your hand and buy you a drink like an old friend.
“Reboot” opens the album, drawing out and building suspense before dual vocals crash in on the track. It then leads into one of my favourites – “All Us Authors.” Fast, loud, and with a stunning beat and arguably the best guitar riff on the record – what’s not to like? “Say that again, start making sense / jaw smacks the wall, brief shock and awe.
Single “Muscle Memory” is again another stand out, as is “Think & Feel.” It’s hard not to get lost in the huge musical release of most tracks. The tension that builds and keeps building, just to be let out in a huge explosion, is at the core of most of these songs.
For all of the harshness inherent in their music, for all of the abrasiveness and unpleasant scratches and yelps, Dananananaykroyd manage to form something solid and genuinely appealing underneath it all. There’s something catchy within every track here, and after a few listens, it hooks into you like nothing else.
With accents that are ridiculously charming, and lyrics that don’t always seem like they make sense, There Is A Way is both messy and cohesive. Both warm and aggressive. Both infectious and affronting. But it’s wonderful in all of those ways, and I’ve never heard anything quite like it before. Dananananaykroyd have definitely gone out with a bang – it’s just a shame we won’t hear anything else from them.
– Jeremy Stevens
