ALBUM REVIEW: Dananananaykroyd - There Is A Way

(Dew Process, 2011)

Review by Michael Bird
                                             
6/10

It’s hard to tell what lies at the center of Dananananakroyd, what their endgame is. The Glaswegian six-piece excel at a few different things: communicating some of the manic energy that goes into their live show in studio recordings, walking the line between several different genres and scenes, and remaining relevant despite in-band health problems, line up changes and having a really annoying name. For all that though, it’s unclear what we’re supposed to make of There Is A Way, an album that falls just short of being something special.

Dananananakroyd do pull in a few different directions in their current incarnation. Less so in any hardcore derivative these days in any sense other than vocals, but never quite indie, never quite truly fist-pumping anthems and never quite straight up rock, the band could be accused of meandering a little on There Is A Way. ‘Reboot’ is a strong opener, probably a great concert opener too, but the energy wears off, and by about ‘Muscle Memory’ something like boredom might set in.

Having Ross Robinson onboard to produce lends the album some serious street cred, but his professional touch may contribute to the ultimately tempered impact of the record. Cuts like ‘All Us Authors’ and ‘Muscle Memory’ jostle along in line with the ‘fight pop’ label the band have assigned themselves, but are just a little too polished to hit with enough force to be memorable. Robinson does with There Is A Way what he’s been renowned for in the second half of his career behind the desks, sanding back the rough edges of acts that spill over acceptable mainstream bounds and delivering standout, often career defining albums (see At the Drive-In’s Relationship of Command, Slipknot’s Iowa and The Blood Brothers’ …Burn, Piano Island, Burn). The potential problem with this is that while some bands shine brightest once the air is cleared and they are given a clean, polished canvas to work with, others lose something vital when they lose their roughest edges. Dananananakroyd sound more balanced here than they have on previous outings, but they definitely fall into the latter camp.