Dot Dash ‘spark>flame>ember>ash’ (The Beautiful Music)

From the very first notes of album opener ‘The Color And The Sound’, it’s clear that while Dot Dash may be based in Washington DC, they are a band very much in thrallto the sound of vintage post-punk and jangly indie. They also acknowledge the Byrds (but then they were c86-style janglers two decades too early, at least until Gram Parsons joined up). They sent me their CD over from the States after I expressed an admiration for their song ‘There and Back Again Lane’ (and which has been listeend to several times (and sitting looking at me reproachfully from my overfull review box).

They fair race through the tunes on display here – fourteen songs in just thirty-five minutes. That shouldn’t give the impression of them being mad thrash style post-punkers: songs like ‘That Was Then, This Is now’ and ‘Dissolve’ have a dreamlike quality to them. And the more I hear these songs the more they reveal their charms.

If I were to make a criticism of this album, it might be that there isn’t a lot of originality on display here. But that’s possibly (and indeed, probably) to miss the point. It’s a sign of how enduring much of this British sound is and how like many movements it reinvents itself in underground (and hopefully overground) movements across the world.

A strong, sturdy debut.

***1/2

Dot Dash -‘The Color And The Sound.’ mp3

Dot Dash -‘I’m Going Home.’ mp3

There And Back Again Lane – Dot Dash by thebeautifulmusic

Tragedy Destiny – Dot Dash by thebeautifulmusic

You can get the album in digital format from the likes of iTunes and emusic or for a CD go to the website