Search - Deathray :: Deathray

Deathray
Deathray
Deathray
Genre: Alternative Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

Deathray's debut is full of surprises. The first five seconds of the opening track, "My Lunatic Friends," belies the stripped down, hooky rock that comprises the disc. Glorious reverb and fuzz jump-start the disc, but soon...  more »

     
   
1

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Deathray
Title: Deathray
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 2
Label: Capricorn Records
Original Release Date: 5/16/2000
Re-Release Date: 5/2/2000
Album Type: Explicit Lyrics
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Indie & Lo-Fi
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 731454255929

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Deathray's debut is full of surprises. The first five seconds of the opening track, "My Lunatic Friends," belies the stripped down, hooky rock that comprises the disc. Glorious reverb and fuzz jump-start the disc, but soon a great pop vocalist and clean, retro arrangements step to the fore. Then, just when you think you've figured out that Deathray lives to pay homage to the pop-inflected likes of XTC, the Raspberries, Big Star, and Badfinger, there's a snippet of the Cars followed by a bit of the bossa nova. By then, it's time to give up altogether and just enjoy the ride. Beyond the catchy single "My Lunatic Friends," which may grab a good number of listeners, it's the late-'70s New Wave sound of the energetic "Check It Over," the languid pop bliss of "What Would You Do," and the beautifully wacky "Baby Polygon," with its electronic twiddling and acoustic guitars (is that a vocoder?) that exert a strong pull. Vocalist Dana Gumbiner is capable, albeit a bit gun shy, while the band (Greg Brown on guitars and Victor Damiani on bass, both formerly with Cake, James Neil on drums, and Max Hart making the synths sing) is just having a blast. --Lorry Fleming

Similar CDs


Similarly Requested CDs

 

CD Reviews

If you're reading this...
Kid A | Boulder, CO | 06/21/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)

"My guess is you found these guys because a few of the members are ex-members of Cake. That's how I found them. I was interested enough from a few snippets of songs on this disc that I found a copy.



What greeted my ears when I first put it on was about 35 minutes of generally mediocre pop that sounds more like it should have been released about 10 years earlier.



There's certainly nothing wrong with 3 minute pop songs, or even several of them strung together to form an album as long as they are well written and catchy. This is where Deathray falls a bit short. All the songs are written well enough, but the majority of them just don't have enough of a hook to keep you from forgetting about them as soon as they are over.



There are a few above-average songs here including "My Lunatic Friends", "Legionnaires In Doubt" and "10:15". Unfortunately, there just isn't enough variety here to pique interest for more than the two or three minutes it takes for the song to play through.



Deathray is a decent album, but unless you're some sort of Cake completist or already a fan, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to pick up this CD."