Recently we’ve been a bit naughty and have broken our dark music remit, but you have to agree, it’s always for a good reason. Detroit Social Club are a great example of a band that is able to transcend genres and appeal to fans of many styles. This album, from the Newcastle-based six-piece mixes a variety of credible rock-based influences to complete a charming collection.
‘Kiss The Sun’ is an atmospheric opener built on a solid backbone of tasteful Kasabian-esque electro-rock – some nice synth elements lead into pounding drums and rebellious calls that repeat before David Burn’s vocals break the ambience and create a powerful atmosphere and a sound that finds itself somewhere between The Stereophonics, My Bloody Valentine and The Cooper Temple Clause.
The band continues on with ‘Northern Man’ – this standout track is far more progressive than any of the band’s earlier material and it’s built for arenas. The violin and guitar combination embedded deep within this track is nothing short of breathtaking and the lyrics are as touching and personal as anything Thom Yorke could dream up.
For next offering, ‘Black And White’ the band goes back to basics with a deep, soulful and blues-orientated beast that will doubtless having you bobbing your head with great abandon. Despite its relaxed sound the lyrics are aggressive and unrelenting: “you are nothing without me” – note that there are some truly inspired electronic elements chucked into the mix here with a generous helping of distortion, and it rocks. Meanwhile, ‘Chemistry’ is a deep and melodic ballad of sorts that will no doubt conjure up a variety of images and experiences within the mind’s eye – it’s romantic rock music influenced by the likes of Jefferson Airplane and sprinkled with serious substance and a drive.
By contrast, ‘Rivers And Rainbows’ slows the pace of the record down and it’s a touch darker. This one takes influence from the likes of Nick Cave – the drums pound defiantly while the keyboards cascade over hypnotic vocal tones.
‘Silver’ fires off next. This track is certainly one of the catchiest and most (“chilled”) efforts on here, the guitars are blissful and the drums soothing. This is the perfect upbeat sound to prepare you for summer. Think Beck meets Verve and you’re about half-way there. ‘Prophecy’ starts slow and turns into something that can be described as nothing short of epic. Opening with chants and building into something that Primal Scream would be proud of – strong drums, slight indie-bothering riffs and the occasional squelching synth create this grand recipe for indie-rock awesomeness.
The final few tracks are equally as astounding, ‘Universe / Modern World’ cleverly examines the controversy that surrounds the human condition with the help of some hefty rock beats and slick keyboards while the album’s title track ‘Sunshine People’ is, as you might expect a very upbeat-sounding track (and our favourite from this record) that is built for late night rock club dancefloors. This one’s a hard-hitting and defiant attack on the state of society at the minute built on a foundation of blistering drums, gigantic riffs complete with Doors-esque keyboards and trippy subject matter.
The final offering on this is ‘Lights Of Life’ and it looks at the more positive side of life. This track is a beautiful tribute to existence that should resonate with you whatever you are into. There’s nothing cliché about this band or this album – the music on offer here is raw and honest and it will appeal to fans of everything from Radiohead to Oasis via Death In Vegas.
To sum it up though, Detroit Social Club are arguably the best northern band on the UK scene right now and they should achieve worldwide success as a result of this excellent album.
For more information visit the official MySpace.
