By: Andrea Myers
I am always a little surprised when bands can play a dry venue at dinnertime on a Friday and still manage to rock out harder than some of the bar closers later that night, but the bands playing at the Superdanger CD Release party for the all ages Triple Rock show seemed to handle the time slot just fine.
The bands were rallying to promote the release of Superdanger’s first full-length release, Fight! Fight! Fight! (on Afternoon Records), a no-nonsense gem of a record for rockers and indie-swooners alike. Vocal duties on the album are traded off between guitarist Caleb Rick and bassist Scott Hefte (Seymour Saves the World), though you wouldn’t suspect at first listen that the tracks were recorded by two separate singers. Both have high, vulnerable voices and Hefte especially croons similar to Doug Martsch of Built to Spill, or maybe Isaac Brock. Back-up vocals and rhythms are handled by Jake Hanson (Cowboy Curtis), who holds it all together with splashy back-beat retro drumming.
The Superdanger sound isn't necessarily unique, as it follows fairly basic dreamy-indie patterns in an emo-before-emo-got-lame sort of way, with arching vocal melodies, plucked out guitar chords, and plenty of lyrics about girls, parties, and their ensuing problems. But there is something infectious about their songs, a staying power that is more significant than typical pop music allows.
In "It's Robert," for example, the subject matter is quite familiar, but the crescendo and upward progression of the power chords lend hope to another hopeless romantic:
What's a boy to do?
He's flying to the moon
I hope he gets there soon
I know that you do too.
Another highlight, "Donna," sinks so far into the psyche that it is almost timeless, conjuring up images of a 50s-era high school girl in pink hair rollers, twirling around her room with a framed picture of Buddy Holly, and then crossing to an image of a 90s punker giving her Gen-X boyfriend a chance at happiness. The song concludes, "Let's be each other, 'cause I don't like me and you don't like you."
Unfortunately, as explained by the singer early in the set, Hefte was recovering from a nasty cold at the time of the performance, and his voice was a little too vulnerable, giving out at times and sounding strained at others. While the band remained solid and the instruments were dead-on, it was probably not a defining performance for the band. Luckily, since it was a CD Release and there were plenty of copies of the new album on hand, concert-goers were able to take Superdanger home with them to contemplate the songs as they were recorded.
Opening acts included newcomers Squareshooter (led by One For The Team's Sam Gerard), One For The Team (read reviews by Zosia and myself), and Tapes N' Tapes. Superdanger will appear next as guests on Radio Homegrown on Sunday, February 12 at 10:00 p.m.
Photo by David de Young.
Location Info:
Triple Rock Social Club
Artist Info: Superdanger
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