I was one of those guys who read about The Buzzcocks before I ever heard them, in the pages of Creem and Trouser Press, as it wasn't until I was about 20 that I'd graduated to NME and Melody Maker. And when I finally heard them, it was on Singles Going Steady, their seminal compilation. When I finally played the studio albums later, I was a bit surprised at the variety on them, because I'd been such a fan of the consistent punch on that collection. I wanted every record to be that full of power pop and punk pleasures. Non-stop and a bit unrelenting.
There's something similar happening here on 16 Again, the new Dot Dash greatest hits record. There's an old school flavor given that this is the band's first vinyl release, and the format -- at least for me -- makes me recall buying albums from the very bands that inspired this one. The influences are more apparent, as is the need to place these tunes right next to those of those earlier artists. And it sounds great. I mean, it sounds really, really good.
Side 1 of 16 Again is unforgiving in its delivery of pop gems. Had you not known the group already, you'd be playing this with plans to go to a record store, physical or virtual, to find more from this lot. "Trip Over Clouds", from 2022's Madman in the Rain, is the rare stylistic breather. You catch your breath but the hits keep coming: "Airwaves" from Madman... and "TV/Radio" from 2018's Proto Retro being clear highlights here. "Gray Blue Green" from that same 2018 release is another in a run of cuts that charms immensely. There's a certain method here, with songwriter Terry Banks knowing exactly how to deliver the most moments of listening pleasure in the most concise package, but on certain compositions, the formula is tinkered with and a slightly less excited tempo applied. On the flip, we get a mix of older tunes, with "Holly Garland" from 2016's Searchlights jumping out as the sort of thing that should have been a big hit. It's mix of Costello and Only Ones provides a sort of template for what Banks, Danny Ingram, and Hunter Bennett are doing here; it's thinky pop and poppy punk. While "The Sound in Shells" seems even better than I'd remembered when heard out of context here, I do wish there were a couple of more tracks from Half-remembered Dream, my favorite Dot Dash release. Still, when "(Here's To) The Ghosts of the Past" kicks off, it still gives me the same rush as it did a decade ago, and it still makes me want to play that whole album again. "There and Back Again Lane" is a must from Spark>Flame>Ember>Ash, the debut from 2011. It's a more down-tempo one from this crew, but "The Color and the Sound" punches hard from the gate, a foreshadowing of the subsequent decade of seven albums. "Jackanory Stories" is the lone rarity here, a Television Personalities cover that is brightly realized and a lot of fun.
I've been listening to these guys since 2011 so I could probably nit-pick what's not here but does 16 Again work? Yeah, of course. Was there any doubt? Not only does it work, but the track listing should surprise (pleasantly) even old fans as the juxtaposition of expected gems and neglected ones creates a portrait of a trio who've been creating masterful punk pop for more than 12 years. And, frankly, even though I'm still a CD guy, I've got to admit how great this all sounds on vinyl. There's more depth on the tracks on side one, for example, revealing bits and pieces I missed on my CD and download listens. This is essential for a bunch of reasons is what I'm saying.
16 Again by Dot Dash is out now via Country Mile Records. Details below too.