Dare Dukes resembles late British filmmaker Derek Jarman and has a high, plaintive voice not unlike Frank Black. His acknowledged influences of Alt-rock bands like the Pixies, Fugazi and Sparklehorse are not hard to identify.
The seven tracks on this short album are well crafted and tightly arranged with quirky lyrics which are intriguing enough to lure you in without always knowing precisely why.
Dare's subject matter is drawn from the soul desert of the suburbs of San Jose, California where he was born and raised. He documents what he calls the "exit-ramp culture" of peoples' lives searching to find a poetry in the weirdness rather than bemoaning the dull routines. Dare says "America is a a crazy, scary and fascinating landscape. the reality is a lot more interesting to me that what the nightly news depicts".
The "freedom from the shocks and storms" in 'Sam's Cathedral' evokes a no alarms-no surprises world where desires centre on super saver coupons.
The upbeat tone is deceptive as a sinister edge seems to underly the tunes. In 'Lucas Goes to the Demolition Derby' for instance the lyrics speak of America finding cowards unwelcome as they cheer on the maniacs; and a line like "Light a candle for the little pyromaniac" on the closing track 'The Equipment is Fine' has a chilly resonance.
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Despite the fascination for the hidden and the bizarre there's nothing bleak or cheerless about the half hour's worth of material. The mood is rather one of dancing through dark times.
The opening track is the story of a man obessesed with subway trains to the point of hi-jacking one (The Ballad of Darius McCollum). This eccentric act is presented as triumph of the will rather than cause for hand-wringing about society's ills.
There's plenty of wry humour too - I particularly liked and related to the lines "I have no plan/ Not anyway in Power Point form" on 'From a Plane'.
Too rocky to be classed as Folk but too literate to fit neatly into mainstream pop, this is the type of record that back in the day you might have chanced upon being played in your local record store. In our digital age you can go online to discover its charms.
http://daredukes.com/
http://www.lastfm.it/music/Dare+Dukes
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