Dot Dash opened up for Australia's Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever tonight at DC9 and they used the occasion to preview a lot of songs from upcoming, and as-yet-untitled album number 6, due to be released on TheBeautifulMusic.com this summer.
Highlights for me were the roaring "TV/Radio", the R.E.M.-ish "Tamed A Wild Beast", and the superb and punchy "Unfair Weather", all numbers that play to the strengths of these three musicians. If the band is now morphing into a decidedly-Jammy affair, it's The Jam of "Running On The Spot" that seems to have inspired front-man Terry Banks, and versatile bassist Hunter Bennett, even while D.C. punk legend Danny Ingram is probably channeling Rick Buckler's fills on "In The City" as he attacks the kit with his substantial skills.
Keep an ear out for news of the upcoming record via the band's official Facebook page.
Australia's Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are set to drop their debut full-length album on Sub Pop in June. And while Hope Downs isn't out yet, the band managed to fill up the club tonight largely on the strength of advance hype for that record, and lingering goodwill for the band's last superb release.
The 5-piece throttled through a tight hour-long set with the standout tracks for me being "Mainland" from the new record, the chiming "Julie's Place", a real crowd-pleaser, and "Wither With You", an earlier number which recalls The Go-Betweens quite a bit.
More details on Hope Downs via Sub Pop and the band's official Facebook page.
[Photos: me or my wife]