BIG DUST - Big Dust
Danish newcomer band Big Dust from the capital city Copenhagen are quite modest when they state that had their eponymous debut album been released in the Nineties, it would have sounded futuristic, but today, in their opinion, it "only" sounds modern. Well, let me reassure you! The album still sounds quite forward thinking. Big Dust is a trio consisting of a vocalist, a programmer/musician and a drummer, although the latter is apparently only featured on one track on the album. He’s probably in charge of providing a fuller sound in a live setting.
The band calls its style doom pop, which might be a bit misleading if not entirely wrong. Big Dust like to play with juxtapositions, especially when it comes to the instrumental part of the music. The synthesizers and beats are meticulously elaborated, with Mads Bordinggaard Christensen always trying hard to come up with cranky and rumbling sounds that in the end somehow always fit the music. His guitar playing is much more organic and free, borrowing from the plaintive repertoire of Americana alt rock artists like 16 Horsepower and the likes. Add to this Simon Skjødt Jensen’s melancholy vocal performance that owes a little to US indie bands, and we come to a fully rounded product with its very own flair.
All of this would be good in and of itself, but Big Dust are also quite the excellent songwriters. The musicians have all already gathered experiences in previous bands, so they are not new to their trade. I already really dug the opener This Song which starts with vintage synth sounds reminiscent of a Wendy Carlos, composer of the Clockwork Orange soundtrack. Soon the song gets a synth based rhythm that have certain Eighties tendencies. The guitar is clanging woefully in the background, adding a really chilly counterpart. The vocals soar above it all and intertwine wonderfully with the instruments during the chorus. The following Anima is the album’s first single cut and comes with an Indian guitar part, making this short three minute piece oriental and catchy at the same time. The languid If I Were You shows the band’s more laid back side, although the monotone synth rhythm makes sure that this is not a song like anyone else. Two further favourites come later on. For one there is the really noisy synth monster Leitmotif that feels like pumped up techno rock. Then there is the nine minute long Sister. It takes half of the song before the vocals join in. The entire track comes with a krautrock flair I wouldn’t have expected but still feels like a thorough part of the album.
Big Dust’s self-titled debut album is brimming with great songs, and manages to work on two levels. You can listen to the songs just like that, and will be delighted by its memorable build-up and melodies. But you can also dig deeper and dissect the musical intricacies that make up the skeleton of the songs. Combine those two approaches, and you will be fully rewarded, even if the album could have done with one or two more songs. But that’s a minor complaint. Big Dust’s doom pop is possibly more an electro indie rock hybrid, but it’s a timeless piece of work that deserves to find a large audience.