Super-group or side-project? Probably somewhere in-between, honestly, when all is said and done given one participantās inability to focus on anything for very long. Dreamcar is a loving ode to mid-80s synthpop in all of its glory, and something of a reductive compression of the entire genreās major players. Itās a razor thin line between enjoyable romp of derivative 80s silliness and a group of rockers engaging in pastel dad chic while sweating to the oldies.
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Substituting Gwen Stefani for Davey Havok brings out certain weaknesses in the material. Not for lack of Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Adrian Young banging away with verve and energy, but for Havokās gothic, edgy lyrics that dip into tortured teenage poetry and ātry hardā obliqueness way too often. For all of the excessive fun and kitsch of āKill for Candyā or storminess of āShow Me Mercy,ā thereās way too many regressive moments of Havokās outsized personality deflating the songs.
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Case in point: āDonāt Let Me Love,ā a tortured song featuring eyerolling lyrics like āIf you hold the razor/I will guide your hand/I donāt want to fall in love again/Please/Donāt let me love.ā That wouldnāt pass muster in my high school creative writing class, trust me, I tried it, and itās even worse coming from a man in his early 40s. At least it was expected of a 16 year old. At least on āDonāt Let Me Loveā his vocals are in fine form, as they are throughout the rest of the album. Thereās no faulting his line delivery or zany stylistic choices, but those lyricsā¦.
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Much better, honestly the crown jewel of the pack, is the groovy camp of āAll of the Dead Girlsā where Havokās baroque lyrics settle into a playfulness that the rest of the album needed more of. āAll of the Dead Girlsā is the aural equivalent of the Cureās Robert Smith subbing in for Adam Ant around the Kings of the Wild Frontier album. Itās a glimpse of Dreamcar operating at its sleekest, smartest, and wildest.
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While Dreamcarās debut may be better than No Doubtās last studio album, 2012ās overproduced and half-thought Push and Shove, itās still not a patch on any of that bandās strongest albums. Itās unclear whether more will come from this as the bandās aborted tour, promotional efforts, and pulled second single all hint at some kind of strife either internally or with the record label. If all we get is this flimsy, fun bit of synthpop pastiche, then it was an enjoyable lark while it lasted.
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DOWNLOAD: āAll of the Dead Girlsā