The Dao Son For
The Dao Son For
Country Club
It was quite a shock, to be getting into this strangely-titled band, grooving to the whip-tight spy instrumentalism of “The Sprawler,” the first track on here, only to be thrown by the opening drum stutter and notes of the second track, “Co-Work Co.”
Who the hell covers Creedle?
As it turns out, The Dao Son For is a NYC supergroup with San Diego transplants, featuring ex-Creedler Devon Goldberg, and other members from such acts as aMiniature and The Rugburns, plus film-soundtrack cover band Morricone Youth. True to their roots, the band executes a flawless update of the features that made their previous bands unique – a sort of grim determination to take that melody, that hook, to some weird territory. “The Crawler,” for example, ends up being a slower, smokier version of “The Sprawler.” And later on, there’s “The Drawler,” yet another variation on the theme. The band often calls on the spirit of Creedle in many subtle ways, and often it’s not at all a reunion or reincarnation, but more of a continuation. “Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars” not only shares a name with a Creedle album, it also evokes the low-key urgency and schizophrenic aura of the band at the time. Using only a traditional guitar/drums/bass/keys format, The Dao Son For can revive faith that there are still songs and arrangements to be invented.
Which brings me to a somewhat sour point. The song “Co-Work Co.” is credited to The Dao Son For. I could care less that the same guy in both bands wrote it – it’s just not kosher.
Still, one can forgive this hubris when faced with a set of nine tightly-wrapped noir symphonies. More Dao Son For.
The Dao Son For: http://www.thedaosonfor.com/
