ZapTown

Dappled Cities
Zounds
Dangerbird
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

From the instand the industrial-like conveyor belt drum beat hit me, I was hooked. With the sound contorting while acting possessed, swirling around this temple pounding and taunting the listener, Zounds makes you want to close your eyes and let Dappled Cities just take you away from this perceived
reality.

And as the band builds upon each other, a song like “Hold Your Back” shows the talent of losing it without losing control. If you let your senses trust this band, they will send you spinning with a sound conception the equivalent to a million stars coming straight at you.

Zounds may clock in just under an hour, but the album is full, making use of every crevice and space to create even more musical space and atmosphere; a journey without being trapped as soundtrack. This is an album to the fullest extent. And as it continues, the euphoria escalates.

With all of these starry-eyed instrument swooning, what is underrated is their knack to write brilliant pop songs. “The Price” has all of the elements of a glorious pop idea with a structure that would please anyone
from a Bowie fan to someone fawning over the decade of decadence. “Miniature Alas” pushes the pop envelope far beyond what most bands spend an entire album trying to reach while Dappled Cities make it seem so effortless.

And even though “The Night Is Young At Heart” comes with a twist — like the Futureheads did to post punk — or “Middle People” feels like it would nestle comfortably within the Flaming Lips’ Soft Bulletin, these hopeless romantics take your aural senses and spiral them further and further into
the stratosphere. And what works best is that none of this feels fabricated.

With Zounds as their third release, this is the band’s Odyssey, a celebration because they have found their home.

Links:

Dappled Cities: http://www.dappledcitiesfly.com/
Dangerbird Records: http://www.dangerbirdrecords.com/