For those of you that haven’t been paying attention, I’ve been going on and on lately about a new album coming out from a little band called Dance Gavin Dance. Instant Gratification will be the follow up to 2013’s Acceptance Speech, and their second album with Tillian Pearson (formerly of Tides of Man) on lead vocals. Pearson was an immediate fit with the band, they put out an album that made it sound like they’ve been making music together for their entire careers. It was a seriously impressive album, and proved to be the biggest leap forward for Dance Gavin Dance since their debut full length Downtown Battle Mountain. Which is incidentally, precisely what we’re here to talk about. There is a ton of hype surrounding Instant Gratification, but this is the perfect time to reflect back on one of the original classics that will always be a huge milestone in the history of the band.
After recruiting Jonny Craig on vocals in 2006 and recording their debut EP, Whatever I Say is Royal Ocean, DGD were picked up by Rise Records, and went into the studio to record what would become Downtown Battle Mountain. The result was undeniably remarkable, it went on to change the dynamic of post-hardcore, introducing a more technical, chaotic groove to it, while still maintaining a strong melodic drive, supplemented by Craig’s captivating vocals. It was epic, heavy, melodic, and the vocals; those vocals really changed everything, this was the first step in Jonny Craig’s musical dynasty, and would remain one of his most impressive performances.
Fans of Dance Gavin Dance’s newer material with Pearson will typically agree with little hesitation that Pearson is a better fit for the band, and helped them progress by leaps and bounds, but there is always a bit of uncertainty in their voices. While if may be the objective truth, there was a certain rough passion behind Craig’s vocals that made their earlier sound from Downtown Battle Mountain feel more raw and visceral. I just recently returned to the album for the first time in, as much as I hate to admit it, about two years. After I found out how cohesive the package of Dance Gavin Dance plus Pearson was, I sort of wrote off their earlier material. This was, admittedly, a huge mistake. I’m sitting here listening to Downtown Battle Mountain as I write this, and while I still know that my opinion is definitely the objective truth, there is more to it than that.
And while Dance Gavin Dance have moved on from Jonny Craig, this is not an album that merits forgetting. This is the first milestone in both the careers of Craig and Dance Gavin Dance, and it is still, by any standard, a truly remarkable album. So give it another listen in preparation for Instant Gratification, coming out next Tuesday (or streaming now on the Rise Records YouTube page).
