Dogrel / Fontaines DC
Label: Partisan Records

Reviewed: 6/3/2019

DJ Stace

!!!ATTENTION PROLETARIAT OF THE GIG ECONOMY! YOUR ANTHEMS HAVE ARRIVED AND THEY ARE PURE, PREMIUM F&%$ING ROCK&ROLL!!!

Insistent, confrontational, nearly old-school post-punk debut alb um from this Dublin-based quintet. Razor sharp execution of blistering working class Rock&Roll designed to be played as loud as possible. Lead singer, Grian Chatten, delivers with the gravity of Ian Curtis but with optimism and the brash confidence and romanticism of Shane McGowan. If they can maintain this momentum and quality, these guys are gonna be huge.

FCCs: None, nada

RIYL: Shame, IDLES, The Strokes, Wire, Killing Joke, Little Richard, The Clash, Pogues, perfectly executed rock songs,... hearing the next big thing, first.

Play: all of them. Can't stop listening to #8, #9 & #10

1. "Big" 1:46 - Uptempo, jangling, angry, rilling, kicking angry defiant and declarative. A love song to Dublin. "But, I'm Gonna Be Big!" Yes, young man, you are.
2. "Sha Sha Sha" 2:32 - Bouncy, driving and catchy.
3. "Too Real" 4:08 - Uptempo, urgent, repetetive and brilliant. Almost R.E.M.-like at first, but then it's all in. Chaotic, panning Sonic Youth guitars over driving beat. "I'm about to make alot o' money... Is it too real 4 ya?"
4. "Television Screens" 4:00 - Uptempo, jangly. If Joy Dividion had made happy sounding songs.
5. "Hurricane Laughter" 4:51 - Uptempo, driving, trancey, repetetive, baddass droning rock&roll. Fantastic Jim Morrison-narrative growling lyrical styling. Wire-esque.
6. "Roy's Tune" 3:00 - Slow to Midtempo, strumming, sad and great.
7. "The Lotts" 4:57 - Could easily be a late 80's Cure tune. Mid-tempo, quiet, lamenting and melancholy. Fantastic and dense lyrics.
8. **** "Chequeless Reckless" 2:16 - Droning and authoritative uptempo venting. Wire comes to mind. "Money,... is the sandpit of the soul." Greatness.
9. **** "Liberty Belle" 2:32 - The car commercial song and I mean that in th ebest way possible, but I swear to god you'll hear it in a VW ad, eventually. This song was built in a lab to be played while driving 80 MPH down 280 on a Sunday with noone else on the road. Young, fast, sleek, crashing, all f*&^ing in rock&roll.
10. **** "Boys in the Better Land" 5:00 - Uptempo, tamborine-laden galloping, swaggering deep-throated wall-of sound, anthemic, everything but the kitchen sink perfection
11. "Dublin City Sky" 4:53 - Another love song to Dublin and a clear nod to the likes of Shane McGowan and the Pogues. Slow tempo traditional sounding Irish rock dirge.