 
It is safe to say that Jonny Craig is one of the
most talked about people in the whole post-hardcore
scene and this ranges from bad stuff such as his
stint in rehab, recent laptop scam to good stuff
such as his amazing vocal range which no one within
the scene can touch on as Jonny Craig is one hell
of a talented singer and no one comes close to
rivalling him so it is safe to say that the majority
of Dance Gavin Dance fans were extremely happy
when they heard that the band were going back
to their original line up to create and release
a follow up to their 2007 album ‘Downtown
Battle Mountain’.
‘Downtown Battle Mountain 2’ is the
perfect Dance Gavin Dance album and the album
that fans have been calling out for since the
original ‘Downtown Battle Mountain’.
The album opens with ‘Spooks’ and
as soon as you hear Jonny Craig’s opening
soulful vocals of “Fool, your word means
shit, my eyes they wonder” followed by a
flurry of screams from Jon Mess backed up by perfectly
crafted technical guitar riffs and tasty basslines
you just know that the next 40 odd minutes are
going to be worthwhile.
‘Pounce Bounce’ starts off with instrumental
work which reminds me of the young upcoming British
band General Fiasco but as soon as Jon Mess’s
vocals come in you just know that this is something
so much more special than what General Fiasco
have ever created or could ever create, as the
song progresses once again it is the Jonny Craig
and Jon Mess show where the diverse dual vocals
really bounce off each other in such positive
ways.
‘The Robot With Human Hair Pt 2 ½’
is Dance Gavin Dance by numbers, it is the perfect
track to understand what the band are all about
and it combines everything that the band are well
known for, the soundscapes, guitar solos and general
mixing of the song is fantastic whilst the vocals
follow the same formula as pretty much all Dance
Gavin Dance songs but it really is the instrumental
work which leads the pack throughout this song.
‘Need Money’ is the perfect song to
witness Jonny Craig and Jon Mess working off each
other with their vocals, as soon as one stops
and the next starts up it is done with perfection
and fits so well in place, the vocals of Jonny
Craig throughout the song are extremely soulful
and are executed with pure passion.
‘Elder Goose’ is one of the softest
tracks on the album which features a really catchy
groove with Jonny singing his heart out, Jon Mess
does provide vocals throughout the track but takes
more of a back seat coming in little and far apart
which really does give Jonny maximum time to shine.
Long term fans of Dance Gavin Dance are instantly
going to lap the album up and full in love with
it, but anyone new to the band who has had the
band recommended by a friend may well be a little
confused because on paper the whole random lyrics,
crazy instrumental work and diverse dual vocals
are destined to fail from the start but in reality
Dance Gavin Dance have managed to make everything
gel together in a way that most people would think
is impossible, if you give Dance Gavin Dance some
of your undivided time then you will get a lot
back as this five piece ooze in talent and even
more so now Jonny Craig is back in the fold.
5/5
Review by Trigger
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