Playing with a grin and a wink, Dialtone is a three-piece band from LA and they just want to rock. The band consists of brothers Paul and Mike Orea and George Maiale. Paul writes the lyrics and plays guitar; Mike is the drummer and George the bass player. Their debut album, No Hang-Ups, releases on June 4. Pick it up and enjoy.
They've been jamming together for about two years and have devised a simple, unpretentious, straightforward style of “New Wave/Grunge/Disco/Punk” rock that has a vinyl, nostalgic air. The music is a little fuzzy 'round the edges and the band has a lighthearted approach that is refreshing. Their name, Dialtone (as opposed to ringtones), even hearkens back to older times.
So, they've got a vintage sound while singing about the detriments of modern technology. A nice contrast. Cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging, etc., is ruining existing personal relationships and the art of building new ones. The cool robo-girl cover art embodies this human-electronic integration going on all around us and like the present generation, she's happy with that and who she is. She's “content in all her cyborg glory,” as the band says. They speak on these themes with some jaunty and pertinent songs.
The title track, “No Hang-Ups,” is a bright song, with a nice shuffle on the snare drum throughout and some distorted guitar picking. It starts with the lament: “Always on your telephone/even when we're all alone” but seems also to be a good love song about accepting a person as is.
The second track, “Do You Love Your Cell Phone?” is a plea for all of us to reign in our obsession with gadgets. It's pretty funny with its mentions of “Bluetooth dreams” and the request “on my hands and my knees/baby please put that thing away.”
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