[Burning Mill Records, 2010]
words//stephanie cafarella
I don’t know whether it’s the painfully blatant and somewhat tasteless references to all things Americana or irony of the allusion to Jesus, or maybe both, but Worcester band, Dom really know how to draw attention. Whether that attention is positive or negative I’m not totally sure, but I think it’s safe to say that the music speaks for itself.
Though they’ve only got a few months playing together under their belts, this wild foursome have gained some serious exposure. From Pitchfork, to the Fader, to Sweden’s Sonic Magazine—Dom’s everywhere. You’d literally have to had been living underneath a rock to blindly go about your life without these dudes in it.
Every track on their recent Sun Bronzed Greek Gods 10” is overflowing with blissfully kaleidoscopic synth-pop melodies, anthem-worthy choruses and lyrics that will unintentionally stick with you. The vocals, which are delivered by Dom himself, are just as prominently buzzing with reverb as they are easily distinguishable, but in the best way. Hearing a Dom song for the first time is almost like a ridiculous combination of riding a bicycle for the first time while being on a shitload of recreational drugs. There is some unspecified psychedelica along with unhindered fun, a little bit of silent triumph and some good old fashioned life living and not-giving-a-shit about anything else that goes along with what I recall it being like first hearing the band. And that’s exactly what they set out for.
The record’s promising opener and ecstasy-ridden gem of a track, “Jesus”, might offer the best lyrical rationalization of those emotions. Leave it to Dom to sing about crying and tripping and basement parties and movie make outs before even hitting the 2 minute mark. If the lyrics don’t do it for you, the track’s got a sweet closing interlude full of surfy guitar and danceable sanguine synthesizer. I couldn’t fail to mention my favorite tune on the album, “Hunny”, which is a bittersweet noise pop track that speaks about casual heartbreak and somehow manages to strike up some emotions in me every time I hear it. The rest of the tracks are either big-time anthem-worthy hits, words of wisdom or like “Hunny”, genuine accounts of honesty put to music. I know, it’s probably hard to take advice from a band that sings about drugs and a free spirited cat, but it’s that kind of uncultivated realism that sets them apart. They never try to be anything they’re not, regardless of what that entails.
Though their record is on heavy rotation at my place, the only way to fully experience their sound is to see/hear them for yourself at one of their constantly increasing number of live shows. Dom definitely knows how to work one hell of a crowd. It’s worth the price of admission alone just to witness their memorable ode to Patriotism, which is beginning to develop quite the cult following, “Living in America”. With lyrics like, “forget all you haters, USA is for lovers…it’s so sexy to be living in America”, you’ll instantly be transformed to a sunburnt backyard barbeque on the fourth of July, complete with icy lemonade and a hook that is as explosive as fireworks. Their recent addition to their live set of an untamed version of Polaris’ “Hey Sandy” is also super nostalgic and impressive.
Sun Bronzed Greek Gods might easily be the greatest feel good record of the Summer, maybe of the year. There’s no comparison to their dreamy lo-fi sound, shamelessly deliberate lyrics and generous amount of hazy, melodic synthesizer. Chill is the word, and I’m sure as hell that it will quickly amount to being the soundtrack to endless Summers to come.
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To find out more about DOM please check out their MySpace page.
