Neon Lights at Union Hall, Friday July 6 - De Novo Dahl!

Dear friends,

The official Jeff K excerpt (self-declared! Reader's Digest, ce'st moi!) on all matters Neon Lights at Union Hall. This time, the virtues of De Novo Dahl:

"Helming the anchor leg of tonight's Neon Lights race are Nashville's own, De Novo Dahl. Following glowing reviews for their psych -pop debut album Cats & Kittens in 2005, the band has been pummeling a perpetually hot iron. Non-stop touring has lead them through the hype gauntlets of South by Southwest and CMJ, as well as landing them supporting gigs for genuine big shots such as Wilco and TV on the Radio. Big shots beget big shots it seems, as this steam roller momentum caught the famous ears of mega producer Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin, Sleater-Kinney's the Woods) and uber-mixer Tony Doogan (Belle and Sebastian's the Life Pursuit ). The renound duo lent their expertise to the band's not too far off debut on Roadrunner Records (home of the New York Dolls, and Megadeath!!!).

Behind a bio like that there are bound to be some damn fine songs. And hey, what do you know...

De Novo Dahl - "Shout" (from Merry Swankster)

The title track from the band's soon to be released Shout EP starts at its grandest point, with group singing that recalls Arcade Fire at their most anthemic, or the Polyphonic Spree after undergoing a 10 hour "new age hokum-ectomy." All smart song cobblers know that even a three-minute pop song can be tiresome when filled with perpetual bombast, so the song drops back. "Shout" 's verses, stuffed as they are with sly boy-girl harmonies, expertly placed blips and bloops, and pogo tempo bass can barely contain the vastness of those chorale peaks. In the end the verses lose out, and everyone else wins.

...

The band has been lovingly pawed at from all sides and the breadth of the notices is too vast to capture, so we'll stick with the best, brightest, and most thrillingly elitist;

Pitchfork

Stylus Magazine

Coke Machine Glow

Brooklyn Vegan

You Ain't No Picasso

Have I mentioned the fanciful 19th century one piece bath costumes? No? A teasing glimpse of the red and yellow icing on the already tasty cake...To buy tickets right now for tonight's show, also featuring El Jezel, Mancino, and Thrushes, go here. To attempt to sneak in for free, check the rules of our giveaway here. "

For pictures, more writing, and another song, read the whole post over at Merry Swankster!

Love, D