Album Review: Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel
~ Dogrel ~
Fontaines D.C. – Boys In The Better Land
Fontaines D.C. are set to release their debut album ‘Dogrel’ on Friday 12th April.
Hailing from Dublin City, Fontaines D.C. are now steamrolling through the UK with their raw, post-punk & poetic tunes.
‘Dogrel’ Kicks off in a furious way and instantly grabs your attention with previous single ‘Big’. At just 1 minute and 46 seconds long, the track leaves a much longer impression. ‘Big’ hears frontman Grian Chatten telling us,
“My Childhood was small but I’m going to be big.“
The best description of Fontaines D.C. would be post-punk and tracks like ‘Hurricane Laughter’ and ‘The Lotts’ could have easily been the rhythm section in Joy Division.
‘Dogrel’ is in your face but the band have mixed the in your face seriousness with fun and enjoyment too. The menacing ‘Chequeless Reckless’ preaches descriptions of a phoney, an idiot and a sell-out in a poetic way.
Latest single ‘Roy’s Tune’ slows the pace down on ‘Dogrel’ and the reflective track shows a more tender side to the Dubliners but It is the fun tracks that stick around with you longest. ‘Liberty Belle’ is a big stand out and the most radio-friendly track on the album, it bangs along in a punky-mod style, not to dissimilar to that of The Jam. A sure way to lose a trainer during their gigs. The lyrics are brilliant too, how can you not love a tune which starts with the lyrics,
“You know I love that violence that you get around here, that kind of ready, steady violence.“
‘Boys In The Better Land’ comes straight after and in a similar way to to ‘Liberty Belle,’ it is a brilliantly raw, fun, pogo-inducing tune which brings alot of balance to ‘Dogrel’. Again the lyrics a real show stealer,
“If you’re a rockstar, pornstar, superstar, it doesn’t matter what you are, get yourself a good car, get out of here!“
It is quite easy to use The Pogues for an influence with an Irish punk band and I wasn’t even going to mention them because, despite the heavy Irish accent, you feel more of Joy Division, The Jam and The Clash connection… That is until the last track on the album ‘Dublin City Sky’, the tune is a folky-punk track which comes from nowhere really but it adds a twist and finishes the album perfectly.
(Reviewed by – Marc Whiffen)
Fontaines D.C – Roy’s Tune
