Many people saw the 90’s as a dark age for music. Those people are one, but more likely some, of a few things – tone deaf, stupid and probably, no actually, most definitely – utterly tasteless. Sadly, the disdain and irritating under appreciation of 90’s music is a disease that has befallen many of our fellow beings, but this illness clearly has not featured in the lives of London rockers DaDa. Their new release Modern Twat (and it’s equally impressive A-side Black Horse) are a throwback to the wonderful distortion that punctuated the awesome sound of the peak of human noise exploration that was the 1990’s and it’s FUCKING AWESOME.
DaDa’s Modern Twat explores the tribulations tied around the daily endeavour to not be a complete tool with style, vigour and a backbone of dissonant distortion
The three-piece of James Schiavone on lead vocals and guitar, Maunel Crisci on bass and Ryhan Lovell on drums hail from two countries and two counties, but came together in London around 2013. Schiavone met Crisci while living in the small Italian seaside village of Salerno.
The two played together in their teenage years until Schiavone, after a brief stint in Los Angeles, descended on London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance where he met Lovell and reunited with Crisci. Together DaDa have forged a full and undeniable sound.
You might think that because the DaDa boys cite Sonic Youth, the greatest musicians and band of all time*, as an influence that my enthusiasm for their music might be a bit biased. Let me assure you, there is none of this at all. The punchy distortion of Schiavone’s guitars on Modern Twat truly is a breath of fresh air. It sounds like something created in god’s country of the North West in the decade of decades.
It’s reminiscent initially of a cross between early Built to Spill and Blind Melon, which is a compliment of the highest order. Mixed to absolute perfection by friend and producer Michael Ciani, the great levels on the bass and the perfect sound of the snare drum, a real highlight, indicate the producers wonderfully tuned ear. On the strength of this mix, DaDa would be smart to stick with Ciani for a full-length release. When a three piece sounds as good as this you know two things – 1) the band has got it goin’ on and 2) so does the producer.
Modern Twat provides worthy support to its banging A-side Black Horse. With a verse instrumental that is clearly influenced by the ground-breaking dissonant distortion given to us by Lee and Thurston, Modern Twat delivers a telling assessment of the difficulty that comes with engaging in modern life and trying not to become a complete tool.
Its chorus is perhaps the most “poppy” the band sound across this offering but it is still stylish and catchy and surprising well fitted with the verse. Modern Twat is still distinctly DaDa and evidence of their ability deliver a more conventional pop sound that will serve them well as they forge their musical destiny.
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Credit must also be given to Modern Twat‘s accompanying A-side Black Horse which explores the great conundrum of man selling his soul with an edge, and just enough angst, to really get you going. A song with a chorus going “I will not obey you sir, I’ll kill and destroy” is an all too timely reminder that we are not machines, or statistics, or designed for mass control and nor were we intended to be.
On Modern Twat the band indicated that they look to address our stuttering evolution in the face of societal and social control, suggesting “Whilst technology, architecture, science evolve at a frenetic rate, the depth of our thoughts and feelings as a collective don’t. We keep chasing that individualistic and capitalistic philosophy of being, often supported by the feeling of incapacity to change and ensure change.”
This statement that is wonderfully considerate for a band entering perhaps the most sterile music scene since the dawn of time. We need some more punch to our music, some more “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me” and thankfully in DaDa we might just have it.
Mixing some millennial polish with the profound style of the 90’s, DaDa have the right balance to be noticed, and Modern Twat is the right way to get the ball rolling. A full sounding three piece talking about real shit, being cynical, playing distortion with a bit of dissonance! It’s about bloody time.
*For real.
Modern Twat/Black Horse are out now via Black Wire Records. Get it here.
