Dogs Die In Hot Cars’s debut album Please Describe Yourself is part of the recent new wave music that has been hitting the radio airwaves along with Frank Ferdinand and Interpol.
Dogs Die In Hot Cars resembles Interpol because of the distinct sounds of the lead singers. DDIHC’s lead singer, Craig Macintosh, can easily be distinguished as Interpol’s lead singer, Paul Banks, is. It’s what separates DDIHC from other bands.
The opening track “I Love You ‘Cause I Have To’ is so infectious. There are hints of an 80s revival through its blend of vocal inflections and instrumental simplicity. “Pastimes & Lifestyles” contrasts “I Love You” with its complexity. There are more things happening in the song, and the lyrics help how elaborate the song is: “Every morning I’m woken by sheep / Let the foot and the mouth prevail / If it means I can sleep.”
“Celebrity Sanctum” is the band’s ode to the beautiful actresses: Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It’s direct, and truthful to what every boy’s fantasies are. Just the chance to meet the women will have them falling in love: “When I meet her / We’ll be mates you’ll see / And I’ll be the guy the guys want to be.”
There is nonstop movement in the album, and it is surprising how fast the 11 tracks go. The weirdest track would hands down be “Apples & Oranges.” How many good songs are there describing eating fruit? The title alone chronicles the theme of the album - life should be fun, and eating apples and oranges is very underappreciated.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
Great album. You should check out mid-80s XTC if you enjoy DDiHC's sound - they pretty much stole XTC's sound from that period. You would also likely enjoy The Futureheads, who are similarly XTC-influenced (but more the first few XTC albums' pop-punk sound than the more refined mid-period XTC sound.)
2 - Tan Hoang
Haven't heard of XTC before, will download a few...
3 - Tom Johnson
Holy crap, dude! You're in for a treat! One of the greatest, smartest bands of all time. XTC, if you can't tell, is one of my favorites. Find "Generals and Majors," "Making Plans for Nigel," and "Senses Working Overtime." These are right along with the DDiHC sound.
4 - Tan Hoang
"Making Plans for Nigel" is a pretty good song.