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There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the French American post-punk duo, DTCV (pronounced Detective) perhaps some of which is owed to the pseudonyms of the band members Vivarock and Fiat Lux. While they had their humble beginnings a mere three years ago in L.A., they’ve already managed to put out two full-length, and one collection of singles under three different labels. Uptime! is an adventure in gritty guitars, catchy pop hooks and shimmering percussion that should have you ready to smash along with these two.
The album opens strongly with the first four tracks all bringing the infectious rock. “Astros” gives you a brief stirring introduction to the band, and the female vocals chime in with haunting “ahhs,” before the guitar snarls in, and I’m reminded of the sleek music of the likes of Frankie Rose. They follow this with the delightful “X-Water,” that moves from sleek to outright rock, the vocals becoming the most striking element as it flourishes and shrieks with grace. This trend continues early on in the album, hitting you with track after track of post punk rock.
Once you reach roughly the middle of the album with “Miley Cyrus Wins The Race,” you can begin to see the direction DTCV are headed. This track listens like a power ballad of the post-punk persuasion; the sultry yet forceful vocals dominate the track, but not without contention from the distorted guitar parts and that throbbing bass that opens the song. What I like about this track is the subtle way that it builds to the very end and the way in which all the components of the song come together with ease and refinement. It’s a less spunky track than what we’ve heard thus far, but by no means less powerful. When you get to the end of the track, which culminates with those female vocals belting “burn it to the ground,” it’s hard not to take notice of the music the band has crafted.
Here, however, marks the point of the record in which the band moves towards a slower approach to the songs, and apart from a few of the tracks that introduce a novel sound for the band, (See “Invitation to a Beheading,” and “California Girl”) they start to lose me a little bit. It’s not that the songs aren’t enticing in their way, it’s that the pacing of the album doesn’t do them any favors: the first half of the album is stacked with the hits and the second half is dominated with slower moments.
While there are some solid numbers on Uptime!, the album falls a bit flat in its low moments, and could have benefitted from a trimming down of a few tracks; forty minutes drags on a little towards the end and the sound begins dull out from the spunky music that the band began with. Perhaps this album is a grower and simply requires more time for the songs to really set in, so I encourage you to find that out for yourself.
There’s a bunch of people out there trying to be cool, trying to spread the news on what’s “good,” but I’m always keeping an eye on those that truly care, like Heartbreaking Bravery. Steven’s put together A Step Forward Compilation, a compilation of demos, live recordings and new tracks by tons of great acts, all benefiting Rape Victim Advocates (good causes always warrant posts!). Some bands on the comp like DTCV andTerry Malts offer new tunes, which should get you excited, while you’ll get hand-picked favorites from Trust Fund and Pile…not to mention live and demo versions galore. It’s a good cause, filled with good tunes, so support the people.
