The Deathray Davies have released a new album entitled Midnight At The Black Nail Polish Factory. I have no clue what it means, if anything at all, but I do know that the album is a step forward for the band in terms of creativity. Rightly so, the credits list an orchestra (?).
They kick things off with a nifty piano-meets-xylophone-meets-trumpet number that runs right into the drum riff of track two. Instead of starting the record with a skull-knocker like that of their last album, The Day of The Ray, they choose to take it easy at first. “Gone Against the Tide” is a melodious and steady rock tune complete with a violin section. It serves as a good introduction for what’s in store.
“The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower” begins with a strangely distorted drum beat layered beneath clean guitar chords and keyboard lines. “Low and Silent” and “Dominique” echo the tranquility of REM’s Out Of Time / Automatic For The People era, the latter to an even greater degree due to the mandolin. Recollections of Losing My Religion and Monty Got a Raw Deal emerged from fuzzy junior high memories.
If this album were to have a single, it would be “I Regret the Day I Tried to Steal Daniel’s Ego,” which combines a driving bass line, watery keyboards, and a guitar line that cuts through the mix. The end result is a catchy pop hook well groomed for heavy rotation. My only gripe is that the Davies pass up one of the few opportunities on the album where climaxing to a full throttle rock-out would perfect a song. Instead, they build Daniel’s Ego up and then deflate, going back to the same rhythm as before. I’d expect them to take it to the next level after leaving a build-up.
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