The Beat Surrender

It’s probably going back about two years ago now when I first heard about The Dears, not sure off the top of my head where I read the article but it left me intrigued. The article had mentioned reference points as being The Smiths fronted by Damon Albarn which obviously struck a big chord with me, i’m a huge Blur fan and once I got into good music in the late 80’s I had tracked my way onto The Smiths entire back catalogue.

So off I went running to buy the then new album by this musterious Canadian outfit, it was called No Cities Left and I instantly fell for it’s charm. The reference points were certainly valid, but they didn’t tell the entire story of a band that while clearly influenced by British music were keen to forge a sound of their own, they had their sights set on greatness but were falling just one rung short of the ladder at that point.

I popped along to see them at The Cockpit in Leeds a few month later and it was then that they started to go further up in my estimations. Live on stage Lightburn was somewhere between moody and amusing depending on which song he was about to play, the performance was tight and the songs grew in stature when performed live in front of a crowd.

Wind on a couple of years and i’m hugely excited about the release of their new album Gang Of Losers. 12 new tracks to enjoy and to experience, but could they match the previous long player? In truth they have exceeded it comfortably and taken their first tentative steps to being a great band.

It starts ambitiously with an intro (Sinthro) and is quickly followed by the single Ticket To Immortality, they then get a bit more rocky on Death Or Life We Want You and it’s this song that really sets the scene for the rest of the album. The moodswings within it are to be expected from a Dears album, but it’s the sense of isolation and always being the outsider that lyrically run through the album (understand the title now?).

Hate Then Love does offer some hope with it’s defiant message but they are back to sounding resigned to their fate on There Goes My Outfit which is when they are really at their best,Bandwagonneers sounds sorrowful as does Fear Made The World Go ‘Round.

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