Consider Dance Hall Crashers to be the impetuous and adorable, yet deceptively wicked offspring of a mythical union between Elastica and Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Traditional ska beats mixed with the infectious guitars and harmonies which have become associated with the recent onslaught of girl-fronted bands. With all its eclecticness, Lockjaw manages to be one of the more original and unique albums to come out in recent months, unrelenting in its energy and unflinchingly powerful.
Dance Hall Crashers are a six-member band, with Elyse Rogers and Karina Denike sharing vocal duties. The harmonies created by the two are one of the albums two greatest strengths. The other is the combination of scathing guitars with traditional ska rhythms, quite reminiscent of the Bosstones, minus the horns and the gruff, creating an amazing dynamic which never lets up. Dance Hall Crashers have that sound which is at times so familiar, yet, in the end, uniquely their own. DHC seem to have been influenced by scores of bands who were pioneers in their respective genres. The band borrows its ability to couple energy with harmony from a band who began the girl-pop revolution, namely the Go-Go's, whose influence rips through Lockjaw, both in terms of sound and reckless abandon. The bands' ska roots can be traced back to such trendsetters as English Beat and Madness, two groups whom DHC give musical nods to on more than one occasion..
In terms of current bands, DHC's sound is most similar to Velocity Girl or Magnapop, bands which manage to balance smooth and luxurious vocals with hard edged guitars, all with delicate precision. Lockjaw is one of those albums which sustains its energy from start to finish, a complete album in every sense of the word. Every track seems to improve on its predecessor, alternative pop with an edge seldom seen.
Lyricaly, however, Lockjaw fails to break any new ground, dealing only with the traditional - unrequited love, relationship difficulties and varied forms of the break-up song, never quite approaching the cleverness and raw emotion of songwriters like Alanis Morisette or Courtney Love. But, while this is all stuff we've heard before, we've never quite heard it like this. What separates Dance Hall Crashers from the sea of generic mediocrity and ultimately redeems the album is the twist and energy which the band laces through each song. The opening track, "Shelley", depicts a girl who follows advice from everyone but those who might actually help her. The song is brilliant in its use of melodies and vocal style to contrast the almost hypnotic ska rhythms. So while the messages might be anything but inventive, the songs work on the strength of the music and vocals, which overflow with creative nuances.
That said, Lockjaw does have a few lyrical gems, songs laced with irony and gut wrenching emotion and absolute humor. "Sticky" is a perfect example of the latter, a song so playful that it's easy to miss the ultimate in "I hate you" lyrics - ("I often think about the way that I will watch you die / It's kind of creepy, but I'm looking forward to it / I'll probably try to linger over it a little while / you will fall down on your own knife and I'll just smile"). "Go" could be the ska response to The Clash's anthem "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?", with DHC ultimately choosing the former ("Wanna go with you but I think I'll stay"). The song is as clever as it as infectious. The album closes out with songs making reference to both Stevie Wonder and Shonen Knife. Any band who can successfully link those two sits leagues above the rest of the fodder.
Musically, Lockjaw is one of those rare albums which comes so close to perfection one starts actually looking for flaws because nothing can possibly be that good. Music fans have a built in cynicism which grows with each disappointment, each album which failed to live up to even the smallest of expectations. It's these experiences which make us wary and build up our defenses to almost impenetrable heights. Well, cynics be damned, Lockjaw is a jewel of an album, no dull moments here, just sparks of energy and humor injected into every note.
