NYC-based Second Dan released their second full-length disc, Angeline, last year which is full of well-crafted Brit-Pop. It has been a couple years since I've heard the band and their sound has matured significantly since the release of their 2008 debut full-length Bringing Down Goliath.
I remember telling some musician friends about Second Dan a few years ago and, when the inevitable questions arose "What do they sound like?", I described the band as sounding like one of the bands that Steve Lillywhite produced in the early 80's. With this release, the frenetic energy of the early material has been smoothed into memorable and melodic Brit-Pop songs. It has been a good three years since I've last seen Second Dan but the band was able to capture a mood on this new disc so the brunt of the songs felt pleasantly familiar and not at all derivative.
The disc starts out strong with the track "Today", which is a Pulp/The Verve style alt-rocker, with hooky melodies that lead to falsetto vocals on the exploding chorus. The band also wears their Beatles influences proudly and this comes out prominently on the tracks "Angeline" and "Wake Up". The songs vary across the disc and range from mid-tempo rockers to stripped-down ballads ("I Want It, I Need It", "More Than The End") to high-energy rock tracks ("Let It Go") that re-capture the sound of Bringing Down Goliath. The disc ends with the anthemic "Advantage" which soars higher than anything Oasis produced in their last few years as a band.
Second Dan - "Angeline", Live at Rockwood Music Hall
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Second Dan
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Second Dan - "Angeline" CD Review
Posted by Mike at 2:26 PM
Labels: Angeline, CD Review, Rockwood Music Hall, Second Dan