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I remember not long ago, a friend of mine looked at me on a Sunday morning after I had just woken up on his couch still fully dressed from the night before and said “Jesus, you’re a hot mess.” I took it as a compliment. I was wearing skinny black Dior jeans, ankle boots, a white v-neck stained with beer from the previous evening, and I still had the flavor of whiskey in my beard. I’m sure I looked a little rough, but (as I picture it, at least) it was the kind of rough that said “don’t mess with that dude”, not the kind that said “take a shower, loser.” In any event, I just want it to be known that when I refer to the upcoming DD/MM/YYYY album Black Square as a hot mess, I mean it with the utmost respect. It’s sexy, but rough around the edges, and it likes it that way.
At this point you may be asking yourself how exactly you say DD/MM/YYYY, and that would be a very good question indeed. Unfortunately, there really isn’t an answer for that. In keeping with the unstructured style of their music, the band insists that their name can be anything you want it to be, and the characters DD/MM/YYYY are merely placeholders to refer to themselves in written or typed characters. And after you give them a listen, this will all make perfect sense. The band, consisting of five members who play musical chairs with their instruments, refers to their music-making approach as being “no-style” and list Zappa as a major influence. I would describe it as serious music that isn’t afraid to be playful and irreverent. There is a definitely a sense of urgency to the sound, but it is never rushed and seems to not be in a hurry to get where it is going, making the journey there an interesting one.
Black Square is the third release from DD/MM/YYYY, and it is definitely their most accomplished effort to date. There is a certain vibe to it that draws comparison in some ways to Les Savy Fav with a slightly rougher, almost slacker-like approach. The opener, “Bronzage” kicks in right away with driving percussion and moving rhythms, an appropriate track to ease into more complex and less-structured songs that come later. Experimental, semi-dancey rockers “No Life” and “Infinity Skull Cube” bring to mind earlier work by The Faint while retaining a new and fresh sound that is all DD/MM/YYYY. Perhaps the most profound juxtaposition of sound to sum up the free-flowing mantra of the band is the transition from the calming ambiance of the instrumental track “Birdtown” leading directly into the instant chaos that kicks off at the opening of “Sirius.” “Lismer”, another instrumental track, is a starry, experimental gem along the lines of later Flaming Lips material, though perhaps a bit more focused and lacking the pretension of overwhelming perfection. Closing out Black Square are quite possibly the finest two tracks on the album, “I’m Still in the Walls” and “Digital Haircut.” “I’m Still in the Walls” is an indie masterpiece bordering on pop in a Vampire Weekend sort of way, only with fuzzier guitars and without the art school pretense and pomp. “Digital Haircut”, the prize at the end of this musical rainbow, is without a doubt the perfect song to close out the listen. Drawing influence from everything previous, wrapping everything into a tidy package of frenetic post-punk experimentation.
DD/MM/YYYY’s Black Square releases digitally on iTunes on 17/02/2009 with hard copies hitting the stores a month later on 17/03/2009. In the meantime, the band has already embarked on a massive tour in support of the album, likely coming to a town near you in the near future:
DD/MM/YYYY – “Digital Haircut”
12/02/2009 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah w/Don Caballero, SBACH
13/02/2009 – Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland w/Don Caballero, SBACH
14/02/2009 – Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar w/Don Caballero, SBACH
15/02/2009 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent w/Don Caballero, SBACH
16/02/2009 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge w/Don Caballero, SBACH
17/02/2009 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon w/Don Caballero, SBACH
18/02/2009 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret w/Sylvie
20/02/2009 – Calgary, AB @ Broken City w/Sylvie
21/02/2009 – Edmonton, AB @ Pawn Shop w/Sylvie
23/02/2009 – Winnipeg, MB @ Royal Albert Hotel w/Sylvie
24/02/2009 – Fargo, ND @ Aquarium
25/02/2009 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
26/02/2009 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Bar
27/02/2009 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s w/Don Caballero
28/02/2009 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop w/Don Caballero
10/03/2009 – Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
11/03/2009 – Ypsilanti, MI @ Elbow Room
12/03/2009 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
13/03/2009 – Louisville, KY @ Skull Alley
14/03/2009 – Nashville, TN @ The End
15/03/2009 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
16/03/2009 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
17/03/2009 – Dallas, TX @ Lounge on Elm Street
18/03/2009 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s (Leafy Green SXSW Showcase)
19/03/2009 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
20/03/2009 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
21/03/2009 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
22/03/2009 – New Orleans, LA @ Dragon’s Den
23/03/2009 – Pensacola, FL @ Sluggos
24/03/2009 – Atlanta, GA @ Lenny’s Bar
25/03/2009 – Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone
26/03/2009 – Richmond, VA @ Gallery 5
27/03/2009 – Washington, DC @ The Red & Black
28/03/2009 – Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head
29/03/2009 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
30/03/2009 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
31/03/2009 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
01/04/2009 – Boston, MA @ Middle East (Upstairs)
03/04/2009 – Truro, NS @ TBA
04/04/2009 – Halifax, NS @ All Age’s TBA
04/04/2009 – Halifax, NS @ Gus’ Pub
05/04/2009 – Charlottetown, PEI @ TBA
16/04/2009 – Toronto, ON @ Black Square LP Release Party @ Lee’s Palace w/METZ
17/04/2009 – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore w/METZ (release show)
18/04/2009 – Quebec City, QC @ Le Cercle w/METZ (release show)
19/04/2009 – Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks w/METZ (release show)
24/04/2009 – Guelph, ON @ Shadow w/ METZ
25/04/2009 – Sudbury, ON @ Adanac Ski Hill Chalet w/TONNN
25/04/2009 – Sudbury, ON @ The Townehouse w/TONNN