Search - De Novo Dahl :: Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound

Cause you've been breakin' mine from the start

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 03/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When they say "Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound," De Novo Dahl aren't just cheering you on.



In fact, the sophomore album by this deliciously organic dance band seems determined to make you get up and move. This has everything De Novo Dahl's debut had, but everything is tightened up -- wild polished instrumentation, dance rhythms gleaned from classic dance, and an exhaustingly rapid pace speckled with some quieter songs.



It opens with a drum march, and a chorale wailing the command to "Shout, SHOUT!/Let your feelings out/no matter how you do it!... SCREAM, scream!/At the top of your lungs/you'll bob so much harder!" over a driving dance song rendered in blippy keyboard and incredibly fast-moving guitar.



Things slow down a bit with "Heartbreaker," a peppy pop tune sprinkled with retro keyboard and what sounds like electricity crackling. Even if, y'know, the song's melody doesn't really match the lyrics ("I'm dangerous/because I've been here a time or two... I want to break your heart/but I don't think I'll get very far/because you've been breaking mine since the start!").



Those two songs are just the springboard for a lot of equally energetic music to follow -- sinuous dancey rockers, relentlessly bouncy indiepop, mildly funky retro dance flavoured with horns and organ, and wild pop-rockers that flash by with superhuman speed and catchiness. There's even a more condensed, rock'n'roll version of "Be Your Man," with more of a growly bass/sixties-style organ sound.



De Novo Dahl does slow down occasionally, allowing listeners to catch their breath in some genuinely slow songs. "Not to Escape" is a dusty, countryish ballad, while "Marketplace" evolves into a powerful guitar ballad twined with faint piano, keyboard and strings -- it soars slowly to a transcendent peak.



De Novo Dahl's double-disc debut was one of my absolute favorites of that year -- they just sounded so fresh, fast and sometimes just really energetic. And while that first rough freshness is no longer present, "Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound" has more polished and intricate instrumentation, even in the slower songs.



And they live up to their name, almost too much. The songs are a blur of strong, muscular bass, frantic riffs, and sharp drums. It's a bit like listening to a runaway musical train. And De Novo Dahl layers these songs with jangly piano, deliciously funky horns and blazing splashes of 70s-inspired organ, giving it that colourful retro flavour. And in the slower songs, some violin and soft synth get interwoven as well.



There's a lot of male-female harmonies on this, led by the smoothly gritty vocals of Joel J. Dahl, who doesn't mind sounding a bit silly ("Uh oh! Uh oh!"). If the music didn't win listeners over, the childlike enthusiasm of the lyrics might as well -- they're perfectly at ease singing about secret agent missions, broken hearts, and an environmental Chicken Little song ("It's a reminder/from the designer/that the blueprints were left in our care").



De Novo Dahl's second album sometimes blurs into a hundred-mile-a-minute indiepop frenzy, but it's such a fun, dancy, colourful ride that somehow that doesn't matter much. Definitely worth the listen."

Unexpected and exciting

F. Gualtieri | New Jersey | 03/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this album the second day it was available for purchase because I needed to get the feeling of disappointment following Panic at the Disco's second effort out of my system.



This is just what the doctor ordered.



De Novo Dhal's sophomore effort brings excitement, fun, and catchy hooks. The sound is unique in its own right, and influences come from across the board as sounds from Depeche Mode, the B-52's, Squeeze and (more recently) She Wants Revenge can be heard. The male vocals strike an Elvis Costello chord with me, as does much of the song writing (ex. This Year's Model).



If you need a pick me up and want to listen to something fun and different, and likely something that may not get that much critical and mainstream attention, pick up this album. You won't be disappointed.



Tracks to specifically note are Shout, Heartbreaker, Means to an End, and Be Your Man. I feel that the first six or seven songs on the album is when De Novo Dhal is at their best."