ChaosResolved
11-30-2005, 03:26 PM
Sign This Band
Dolly Trauma
Akron, Ohio
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/trackingthetrends/dollytrauma.jpg
Website: Dolly Trauma (http://www.dollytrauma.com)
Music: Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/dollytrauma)
The last edition (http://www.decoymusic.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3122) of Sign This Band brought up-and-coming space-rock visionaries, Hundred Year Storm to the spotlight, detailing the many avenues of the band's success and arguing for its spot on a respectable label. To update the readers of DecoyMusic on the progress of Hundred Year Storm, after a fall east coast and winter west coast tour, the band has settled back down in Texas to entertain label offers and complete work on its debut album, which will see a 2006 release. Rest assured that DecoyMusic will keep you up to date on this band.
The second edition of Sign This Band features Dolly Trauma. I first featured this band in Tracking the Trends (http://www.decoymusic.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3348), placing it into the larger context of a emerging Ohio music scene. Now I wish to extract Dolly Trauma from that region and show why exactly this unsigned band deserves the attention of some record labels. Who wouldn't be interested in a band with an 9 year history, solid touring, and 3 great releases to their name?
Although the band has been functioning and playing together since the mid-90s, Dolly Trauma really took off in 2002 after the band members finished college and began work on their debut self-titled album which turned the heads of many music critics in 2003. Touring commenced on the regional scale, and like any other good independent act out there, they got in a round with dredg as they passed through the Midwest. In many ways, it's a shame that Dolly Trauma never reached a larger audience. Filled with massive, depressive lyrics and earth-shattering chords, the debut album was clearly one of the better independent releases of this decade. People who were angered by the pussified form of A Perfect Circle in The 13th Step should have instead purchased a copy of Dolly Trauma, those disenchanted by Deftones could have should have discovered this gem of a band instead. Dolly Trauma re-emerges in 2005 with Loyal Oaks EP, and this time they will hopefully receive the attention they deserve.
Loyal Oaks continues the trajectory of the earlier works of Dolly Trauma by taking a deep drink of progressive oriented alternative rock, sampling from different sections of the aggressive spectrum to pack a resounding wallop. The major improvement on Loyal Oaks is the outstanding vocal presence of Josh Coon. Although his vocals have been a bit inconsistent in previous works, Coon appears to have found his voice in tracks like 'Fortune and Glory,' 'Ampleaxu Tenebat,' and 'Fountains Giving Youth,' which show a forceful mid-range vocal attack that works well within the jagged peaks of crushing drum beats and powerful bass attacks. Returning fans of the band will rejoice in the band's continued exploration into heavy, atmospheric soundscapes with a rough layering that gives it a slight industrial feel. It's not a polished sound that invokes vomiting, nor a scratched basement sound, but rather a warm, organic live feel that radiates from every note this band touches. 'A Fly on the Bed' travels though mid-tempo verses and monolithic choruses, building to a epic finale that caps off the ep in a wash of dramatic soul-scouring resonance.
The most important change in Dolly Trauma is that the band has refocused their song-writing technique to discard of the 6-7 minute approach and have collapsed down into the 4-5 minute range. While Dolly Trauma functioned quite nicely in the former schema, the band came into its element when it limited it's temporal space in tracks like 'Sky Will Fahl' and 'Morla'--two of the more emotional songs from the album. Loyal Oaks revisits this dynamic, hard-hitting formula of red-hot blistering rock that resists the urge to meander down stray avenues. The only respite from all the concentrated rock action comes in the song "Leave Us," which offers an stripped acoustic version of the band and exposes the fragile insides of the artist while lumbering forward with minimal inertia. Loyal Oaks definitely paces itself better than its predecessor, establishing a smooth energy within the beginning tracks and building towards a monumental ending. On the lyrical side, Dolly Trauma sticks to the personal side of life with lyrics that are soaked with tainted experiences of lost relationships, broken hearts, and sexual misadventures. This clearly exposes a more human side of the band than the music entails and allows a more direct emotional connection with the art that this quartet creates. Some of the songs are bound to hit close to home, recalling deeply chilling memories which trigger a natural complement to the music.
Dolly Trauma accomplishes the tricky feat of redefining its music to be concise enough for a mainstream audience while still staying true to the indie roots of its past. The band ranks high on the list of bands that have been criminally overlooked for the past half a decade, and could clearly replace many of the more mundane musicians currently enjoying some radio exposure. I'd consider the signing of Dolly Trauma a safe bet for any label pushing the alternative rock envelope. There's not much to find fault with in this smart band; it has mastered its sound, exhibits a strong inner cohesion, and gets the blood pumping in all the right ways. Years of hard-work and staunch determination have gotten them this far, but proper backing would propel Dolly Trauma to the top, and beyond.
Dolly Trauma will be releasing Loyal Oaks this Saturday, December 3rd, at the Lime Spider in Akron, Ohio. Future tour dates should be announced shortly.
~Jordan Volz
Dolly Trauma
Akron, Ohio
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/trackingthetrends/dollytrauma.jpg
Website: Dolly Trauma (http://www.dollytrauma.com)
Music: Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/dollytrauma)
The last edition (http://www.decoymusic.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3122) of Sign This Band brought up-and-coming space-rock visionaries, Hundred Year Storm to the spotlight, detailing the many avenues of the band's success and arguing for its spot on a respectable label. To update the readers of DecoyMusic on the progress of Hundred Year Storm, after a fall east coast and winter west coast tour, the band has settled back down in Texas to entertain label offers and complete work on its debut album, which will see a 2006 release. Rest assured that DecoyMusic will keep you up to date on this band.
The second edition of Sign This Band features Dolly Trauma. I first featured this band in Tracking the Trends (http://www.decoymusic.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3348), placing it into the larger context of a emerging Ohio music scene. Now I wish to extract Dolly Trauma from that region and show why exactly this unsigned band deserves the attention of some record labels. Who wouldn't be interested in a band with an 9 year history, solid touring, and 3 great releases to their name?
Although the band has been functioning and playing together since the mid-90s, Dolly Trauma really took off in 2002 after the band members finished college and began work on their debut self-titled album which turned the heads of many music critics in 2003. Touring commenced on the regional scale, and like any other good independent act out there, they got in a round with dredg as they passed through the Midwest. In many ways, it's a shame that Dolly Trauma never reached a larger audience. Filled with massive, depressive lyrics and earth-shattering chords, the debut album was clearly one of the better independent releases of this decade. People who were angered by the pussified form of A Perfect Circle in The 13th Step should have instead purchased a copy of Dolly Trauma, those disenchanted by Deftones could have should have discovered this gem of a band instead. Dolly Trauma re-emerges in 2005 with Loyal Oaks EP, and this time they will hopefully receive the attention they deserve.
Loyal Oaks continues the trajectory of the earlier works of Dolly Trauma by taking a deep drink of progressive oriented alternative rock, sampling from different sections of the aggressive spectrum to pack a resounding wallop. The major improvement on Loyal Oaks is the outstanding vocal presence of Josh Coon. Although his vocals have been a bit inconsistent in previous works, Coon appears to have found his voice in tracks like 'Fortune and Glory,' 'Ampleaxu Tenebat,' and 'Fountains Giving Youth,' which show a forceful mid-range vocal attack that works well within the jagged peaks of crushing drum beats and powerful bass attacks. Returning fans of the band will rejoice in the band's continued exploration into heavy, atmospheric soundscapes with a rough layering that gives it a slight industrial feel. It's not a polished sound that invokes vomiting, nor a scratched basement sound, but rather a warm, organic live feel that radiates from every note this band touches. 'A Fly on the Bed' travels though mid-tempo verses and monolithic choruses, building to a epic finale that caps off the ep in a wash of dramatic soul-scouring resonance.
The most important change in Dolly Trauma is that the band has refocused their song-writing technique to discard of the 6-7 minute approach and have collapsed down into the 4-5 minute range. While Dolly Trauma functioned quite nicely in the former schema, the band came into its element when it limited it's temporal space in tracks like 'Sky Will Fahl' and 'Morla'--two of the more emotional songs from the album. Loyal Oaks revisits this dynamic, hard-hitting formula of red-hot blistering rock that resists the urge to meander down stray avenues. The only respite from all the concentrated rock action comes in the song "Leave Us," which offers an stripped acoustic version of the band and exposes the fragile insides of the artist while lumbering forward with minimal inertia. Loyal Oaks definitely paces itself better than its predecessor, establishing a smooth energy within the beginning tracks and building towards a monumental ending. On the lyrical side, Dolly Trauma sticks to the personal side of life with lyrics that are soaked with tainted experiences of lost relationships, broken hearts, and sexual misadventures. This clearly exposes a more human side of the band than the music entails and allows a more direct emotional connection with the art that this quartet creates. Some of the songs are bound to hit close to home, recalling deeply chilling memories which trigger a natural complement to the music.
Dolly Trauma accomplishes the tricky feat of redefining its music to be concise enough for a mainstream audience while still staying true to the indie roots of its past. The band ranks high on the list of bands that have been criminally overlooked for the past half a decade, and could clearly replace many of the more mundane musicians currently enjoying some radio exposure. I'd consider the signing of Dolly Trauma a safe bet for any label pushing the alternative rock envelope. There's not much to find fault with in this smart band; it has mastered its sound, exhibits a strong inner cohesion, and gets the blood pumping in all the right ways. Years of hard-work and staunch determination have gotten them this far, but proper backing would propel Dolly Trauma to the top, and beyond.
Dolly Trauma will be releasing Loyal Oaks this Saturday, December 3rd, at the Lime Spider in Akron, Ohio. Future tour dates should be announced shortly.
~Jordan Volz