Das Phaedrus - Dark Winning (Name Your Price)

 

I love surprises and Dark Winning certainly caught me by surprise. It also reminds me that assume makes an ass out of u and me. Seeing the name Das Phaedrus made me think of something that was dark Post Punk. Noting the band came from New Zealand, you expect high quality pop that is a tad twee.

This quartet are none of those things, but plenty of much more. When they do threaten something Crowded House like on This Land Wasn't Made For You And Me, there is added crunch, lots of crunch, that ensures it is nothing like this. 

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The directions and influences here are so varied, aided by having Andrew Spittle and Jeremy Taylor alternating on vocals. This lead swapping compares apples and oranges, one has a voice in Pop Rock territory, the other adds a much darker adventurous avenue.

There's a real Glasgow 1989 Jangle to Stop At Nothing, not the only time that the band hit that comparison. Yet Turkish And Domestic could be The Church at their most psychedelic. All My Mother has a wonderful Indie Drawl, a sort of Oz 1983 drawl that was hip with a hypnotic riff. The song breaks out splendidly.

Passing Through is great 70s Pop Rock with a killer riff and a big chorus. Dry Land goes all mid 80s UK Indie Pop in a wonderfully chaotic riff. Are We Good sounds like Lou Reed fronting The Smiths. Every song provides unexpected twists and turns allowing repeated listens.

Dark Winning is on Bandcamp as a Name Your Price. So is its equally excellent predecessor, Ghosts Of The Dunedin Music Scene. So what have you got to lose? There's plenty here that IDHAS followers will enjoy and more than enough to take you in unexpected directions.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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