Like a forgotten petri dish buried deep within Umbrella Corporation labs, the lyrics from Bmore's nastiest punk trio are mutating, evolving even, from obscure typography/art jokes to powerful action rallies against the city's socio-economic inequalities.
New song "No Allies" - available soon via one of two 7" to be released this spring - opens with a solitary distress signal from bassist Bruce Willen; answer it and get yanked into a sweaty pile of warehouse kids thrashing to "no allies - we don't need you on our side."
From the double D crew: "We're taking a break from shows for a couple of months to work on some new shit. But we've got some awesome stuff upcoming in oh eight, oh yes. In the meantime, treat yourself to a Christmastime present and download the entire Materials CD for free...no lie! It's Bruce and Nolen from DD plus Kim of Baltimore's awesome-est Kim++ and Human Host ( www.myspace.com/kimplusplus). It'll be good, we promise.
Bmore artists playing local shows over the next seven days include, but are not limited to: Dan Deacon, Videohippos, Ponytail, Monarch, Thrushes, Ecstatic Sunshine, Jones, Shields, Height, Double Dagger, Thank You, Tall Grass, Television Hill and The Heavycoats. Here's a super quick rundown:
Baltimore Taper Jeff Mewbourn and the Beatbots A/V team offer the audio from Double Dagger's Hampden Fest performance this weekend. Get it here.
And this is awkward, three days after we feature Double D's politically supercharged "Luxury Condos for the Poor," City Paper names it Best Song 2007 in their annual Best of Baltimore roundup. So cheers to Nolen, Bruce and Denny for the accolades, as we understand this honor also includes a power brunch with Sheila Dixon.
Don't be turned away by the thrash, Baltimore's Double Dagger are loud because there's something to be said and no one's listening. Actually lots of people are listening to the music - they were the most anticipated act at this weekend's Hampden Fest (above). But with new full-length Ragged Rubble released this summer, the band maintains its self-proclaimed designcore sound while becoming astute political voices against Baltimore's overzealous waterfront gentrification. A classic example of Baltimore's DIY artistic spirit, Double Dagger have built a bubbling underground buzz fueled by stageless basement performances, limited press EPs and miles of amazing screenprinted posters, packaging, and shirts from their own graphic design firm Post Typography. And all that would be worthless if they didn't also put on a ridiculous show.
Singer Nolen Stral told You Work For Them, "When we began the band a few years ago, we planned Double Dagger as a graphic design punk concept band. Design and art references made their way into a lot of the lyrics, as parallels and metaphors for the usual stuff punk bands yell about...Double Dagger has also provided us a chance to design and screenprint a lot of posters, packaging, and shirts, so it's also a chance to express ourselves visually and be our own client. We're also really loud." (fun fact: even their name is a typographic reference)
Somewhere along the way Double Dagger picked up bigger boulders to throw. Beatbots editor Justin Blemly says "Singer Nolen Stral’s vocals sound more urgent and inflammatory than ever, gravitating here towards themes of modern consumer culture and the yuppification of Baltimore city. On 'Luxury Condos for the Poor' he decries, 'you've lived here your whole life / well it's time to get out / we're building waterfront grave sites, 30 stories high / where dreams of fictional people live, while the city around you dies'. A serious document of what’s going on in the 'Greatest City in America' right now."
When he's not popping veins on his forehead and exposing tonsils to an audience member, Stral's scream/speak lyrics provide purpose and a calming sanity to the song; he knows when to sit everyone down for the message.
Be sure to catch them at the newly reopened Lo-Fi Social Club in October.
Baltimore is known for its all-inclusive bootstrap DIY indie spirit - and with the number of startup artists, labels and legit/underground venues climbing faster than the city's body count (200+ this year, watch your back Detroit), we had plenty of gems to choose from for the first part of this series.
And yes, everyone that lives here wears neon fanny packs and likes to dance in sweaty sardine cans.
Wha: Among Wolves provides the perfect Grizzly Beach Boy/House harmonies to start and end your days...OCDJ makes sounds on laptop, guitar, kalimba, euphonium, bangs drums, shakes things, cites Master Blaster as a major influence...Small Sur is instantly familiar fire circle hymns...Thrushes are murky shoeglazed pop masters...Brian Adam Ant is psychedilifolk that doesn't sound like Neutral Milk Hotel...Shields drops stuttery butter for fans of Prefuse and Madlib...we'll get to some of his counterparts including Jones and Height next...Santa Dads are beatboxing ukelele costume kidz...The Death Set are brilliant noise...Ecstatic Sunshine are superbad instruminimalists...you already know and love the mazzed out Beach House...Cex changes skins regularly around experimental laptop hop...Pontytail will bite your face...The Oranges Band define their sound as "rock" so...Double Dagger will bite your leg...Basshound are a jam band that occasionally covers Daft Punk for the kids at CBGB...everybody thinks it's crazy...Video Hippos and Dan Deacon are well-known Wham City clan types and Jakuta and Carl are electronic clap clap clap clap.
