Dappled Cities Fly -Cream

Mon 18th Oct, 2004 in Music Reviews

It is usually with much anticipation and nervous excitement with which I approach Dappled Cities Fly. I mean what are they if not one of the most refreshing and interesting slices of musical abandonment served up on the Australian pub landscape in ages? As such, I expect them to deliver and they invariably do.

Call them indie, call them pop, call them rock if you wish because it appears they are all of these things. Just don’t call them predictable or generic because they are neither of those.

With a slew of singles and EPs under their belts and a full-length album imminent, Dappled have here given us the follow up single, Cream, to the most recent single, Peach, both due on the debut album to come, A Smile.

Where the rhythmically scattered Peach was a gorgeous drifting pop number in the vein of Flaming Lips or Of Montreal, Cream opts for a little more anxious post-punk energy.

The track chugs along, pounding out Dappled’s trademark bouncing rhythms and angular melodies, crucially not forgetting to include the dreamy, theatrical lyrical appeal of their best work:

“Is it the night that makes the day seem bright?”

Dave Rennick goes on to sing about “thoughts of cream that were planted in your garden,” bulimia and astral flight. Do I have any idea what he is talking about? Hell no, but when the music is this good I don’t care.

Then to follow for the b-side we have what is essentially Dappled Cities Fly’s secret weapon in Tim Derricourt. Yes, Dappled showcase the delicate balance of the dual frontman and songwriter exceedingly well, and Tim’s contributions, while usually more eccentric are the perfect counterbalance to Dave’s muse. Tim’s songs can sometimes remind me of a wistful lullaby you almost heard on the soundtrack to The Wizard Of Oz or Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory and here, Flites to the Mooooon, does just that.

Go Dappled, go.