REVIEW: Dambuilders, Against The Stars (East West)

- Bob Gajarsky

There are instances when a band, despite being on a 'major label', record an album which embodies all the freedom and spirit supposedly represented by independent labels. Possibly the best - and definitely the most recent - example of this comes in the Dambuilders 3rd release on the East-West (a subsidiary of Elektra) label, Against The Stars.

On Stars, lead vocalist Dave Derby, working with drummer Kevin March, guitarist Eric Massunaga and violinist/guitarist/keyboardist Joan Wasser, have taken all the configurations of the musical beast known as 'pop' music and thrown it into a huge blender and let the resultant effort land where it may.

Want some early 70's pop? "Burn This Bridge" straddles the line between falsetto pop (a la Raspberries) and the Replacements, with some early nineties underground indie pop sprinkled in for good measure.

Progressing later through the decades, "New Wave" playfully steals part of its backing riff from Blondie's "Rapture", while "Discopolis" takes the idea that U2 barely touched on with "Discotheque" - making an alternative disco song - and brings it to fruition, with an indie sensibility that the Irish foursome haven't seen in 15 years. It's rap, guitars, and keyboards with a touch of that glitter ball.

How about an 80s version of college pop? Check out "Might Want Me Around", with its Westerberg-like vocals, one guitar playing like mellower early R.E.M., - and Wasser's backing vocals just to shake things up a bit more.

Finally, check out "I Was Wrong", which lands squarely between grunge and 80s arena rock without ever losing its cool. The poignant "You'll Never Know" also deftly avoids the trap of being a cliched, lighters-in-the-air, slow track and instead is transposed into a meaningful piece of music.

The Dambuilders blend distinct vocal arrangements with musical riffs that we've nearly heard before in a brand new delivery. Just when you're ready to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes them different, the band turn just slightly off-center to dispel any monickers which might get attached to them.

One of the most diverse releases of the year.