Blank Dogs
(In the Red)
Ominously unfocused, bristling with paranoia and wobbling with echoey distortion, Brooklyn's Blank Dogs recall the claustrophobic threat of Fad Gadget, the operatic uneasiness of the Cure. This second full-length, following last year's On Two Sides, builds angsty romanticism out of warbly keys, drum machines and vocals that come from, not just another room, but another plane. Album highlight "Setting Fire to Your House" is pure post-industrial menace, anthemic choruses floating over twisted heaps of burnt disco synthetics, a Cure-ish bassline leading through the haze. "Tin Birds", almost as good, allows the fog to clear, a slanting rain of guitar notes pelting down on mumbled lyrics.
The scale is small, all songs confined to tight spaces and looking inward, yet despite these limits Blank Dogs make stabs at Joy Division-ish grandeur, at Fixx-esque apocalyptic despair. The end result is scary, riveting, but distant, like someone else's nightmare. If this is bedroom pop, there's a monster under the bed.
Standout Tracks: "Setting Fire to Your House", "Tin Birds" JENNIFER KELLY
