THE DAGONS
'Upon the Dull Earth'
SELF-RELEASED

At first glance, a male-female guitar and drum duo such as The Dagons may superficially be dismissed as a White Stripes clone. However The Dagons are a completely different kettle of fish altogether employing a psychedelic slant to their garage-goth sound. The end result of which is a style that is just as seductive as it is gritty.

The album continually pushes at the envelope as to what the duo can produce with their stripped back setup. They never sound too thin, or contrariwise like they're hiding under layer-upon-layer of overdubs. All the while the band's vintage feeling production gives the tracks an almost vinyl warmth and takes the rougher edge off the multiple effects.
More importantly though, is the distinctly individual sound of each track, which seems to be a dying practice these days. From the sumptuous sitar-jangles of 'Black Alphabet', to the surf-rock of 'Gone' and on to the moribund deathrock of 'The Switch' the band displays an aptitude for blending genres. Throw Karie Jacobson's distinctive vocals into the mix and you have a winning formula.

'Upon The Dull Earth' is a rough sounding album in a lot of places. But it is in no way unmistakable because of it. There is a charm and honesty to the band that feels like it is transported from honing the songs on the live circuit. And even though the album covers fifteen songs, the longest is only four-minutes so it doesn't wear out it's welcome either.

[7]