There Is A Way for Dananananaykroyd
- Jun 17, 2011
What do you get when you cross one of Britain's wackiest alt-punk bands with one of America's most successful hard rock producers? Well for starters, they start to sound more than a little bit like Billy Talent in places, but Dananananaykroyd fans will be glad to hear that the Glaswegian sextet have retained plenty of their brattish originality that made the band's 2009 debut 'Hey Everyone!' stand out so much.
'There Is A Way' is a more refined effort than the band's scattergun original, with less urgency to clamour for attention and more consideration to crafting an enduring sound for themselves. Lead singer Calum Gunn's Scottish tones add distinctive regional colour to this sophomore record in many places, backed up by some chaotic, frantic, but highly tuneful guitar riffs from Duncan Robertson and David Roy.
Opening track 'Reboot' sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the record, with a slow-building instrumental intro giving way to a highly energised shout-along. The suspicion that this band might have eaten too many sweets in the studio is strongly backed up by the breathless 'E Numbers'.
Danananaykroyd describe themselves as Fight Pop, but however you choose to categorise them it's hard to deny that Ross Robinson (of Korn, Limp Bizkit and At The Drive-In producing fame) has dialled up the funk on standout tracks 'Think & Feel' and 'Muscle Memory'. The latter bounces along like a demented reworking of the Fraggle Rock theme tune, with a highly catchy chorus that is difficult to resist.
Whilst there is plenty of room for refining Dananananaykroyd's sound (see the messy outro to 'Time Capsule' for proof), this is definitely a record that points to a bright future for the guys who will surely be forever referred to as 'that band from Scotland with the ridiculous name'.
8/10
Chris Jefferies
