Phrases like “eagerly-anticipated” are seriously over-subscribed these days, but for once it’s true to say such an epithet is true where Montreal’s finest, THE DEARS are concerned, especially since the across-the-board acclaim that was (fairly) lavished upon their previous album, the astounding ‘No Cities Left.’
There is a tangible frisson of excitement surrounding the harshly-titled ‘Gang Of Losers’, though, and – for a change – it appears wholly justified. This is a fabulous record from stem to stern and one of which Murray Lightburn and his increasingly-powerful troops should be rightly proud of.
The self-explanatory, scene-setting ‘Synthintro’ leads us into the chiming guitars, cascading drums and tambourines of dramatic recent single ‘Ticket To Immortality’. Despite Murray’s self-critical analysis (“I hang out with all the pariahs”), the song apparently refers mostly to Lightburn and keyboard player Natalia Yanchek’s new baby daughter and when Murray hits the “the world is really going to love you” catchline, he’s singing directly to her. To say that this time it’s personal is something of an under-statement, but then did we really expect Murray to adopt an aloof, detached approach after all this time?
Whatever the deal, The Dears have certainly got the bit between their teeth, and while it’s a tad simplistic to make a claim for ‘Gang If Losers’ as their dumb rock album, it certainly rocks harder and more directly than the Dears of yore in places, not least on the cranked and wired ‘Death Or Life We Want You’ (with its’ Nirvana-ish “nobody wants me, but we want you” chorus) and ‘Hate Then Love’, which conjures something truly intoxicating from nagging guitars, swirling keyboards, Lightburn’s lovelorn-as-hell vocals and a ‘Ticket To Ride’-style beat.
For me, too, Lightburn’s vocals are considerably less in thrall to Morrissey than they were on ‘No Cities Left’. Maybe that was the shock of the new at the time, but now he’s peddling a deep, confident and far-reaching croon of his own (check out the wonderfully measured and soulful ‘I Fell Deep’ for instant gratification on this score), even if lyrically he still has the odd Morrissey-style moment, especially on ‘There Goes My Outift’ when he sings the great line “being born is really such a chore.” There again, the way he sings “I’m trying to remember when we had control and when we let it go” on the cynically-titled ‘Bandwagoneers’ recalls no-one more clearly than David Bowie circa ‘The Man Who Sold The World.’
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Besides, mostly ‘Gang Of Losers’ simply revels in The Dears being the most charismatic bunch of talented outsiders in our orbit right now. Indeed, songs like the poised ‘You And I Are A Gang Of Losers’ and the deceptively slow and opiated ‘Fear Made The World Go Round’ simply reek of atmosphere and enigma, while the empathetic and self-explanatory ‘Ballad Of Humankindness’ (“no-one should have to live all of their life on their own” is Murray’s mantra here and one needing to be seconded) introduces a welcome lightness of touch and even a cute little horn solo you could almost term ‘Beatloid’ at a push.
They save arguably the very best ‘til last and ‘Find Our Way To Freedom’: quintessential Dears with an overwhelming whiff of intrigue, strident pianos and a heady atmosphere you could slice with a 6” gold blade. Add to this Murray’s fallen choir-boy vocals and a terrific sax break wafting through the concluding section and you have possibly the very last word in The Dears to date.
But really, ‘Gang Of Losers’ is a class act to follow by anyone’s stringent standards. It’s heavier and perhaps more plaintive than the equally devastating ‘No Cities Left’, but the urgency suits them and the class they exuded last time out has remained gloriously intact. It’s an album made by the passionate and committed FOR the passionate and committed, but then going down without all guns blazing was never on Murray Lightburn’s agenda, was it? Indeed, when he sings “we’ll find our place in the world if it takes all day and all night” you feel you should tap him on the shoulder and assure him that we already have a place for him in our hearts.
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