Dom
Sun Bronzed Greek Gods
Release Date: Feb 15, 2011
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Electronic, Instrumental Rock
Record label: Astralwerks
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Album Review: Sun Bronzed Greek Gods by Dom
Fairly Good, Based on 8 Critics
Based on rating 8.0/10
With MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter having made musicians so accessible, artists and listeners now seem to be missing some of the distance that, not so long ago, created an air of mystique around our favorite bands. Acts like the Tough Alliance, Blank Dogs, and Burial have made being unknowable desirable in the Internet era. That there's so little information on Worcester, Mass.
Based on rating 8.0/10
From the time the sweet and catchy “Jesus” started bouncing around the blogs last year, it seemed predestined that Dom, the man and the band, would be signed to a major label, or at least a major label-distributed indie. The band arrived with a flair for self-mythology (check this ridiculous Pitchfork interview) that lends itself well to magazine profiles, the famous friends (the band almost signed to Passion Pit’s label) and, most important, the impossibly catchy songs that are just a teen-movie soundtrack placement away from being major hits. This is not a band destined to ride the micro-indie label bench for long.
Based on rating 3.5/5
Just in case you missed their US-only release last year, Massachusetts synth-scuzz buzz oddballs [a]Dom[/a] have remastered their debut EP just in time for the first rays of the UK summer. While the likes of flirty, Casio-loving paean to the US [b]‘Living In America’[/b] and lead singer Dominic’s personal anthem to his cat [b]‘Bochicha’[/b] (which weirdly recalls mid-period [a]Supergrass[/a]) don’t exactly sound wildly different to before, the re-release does ram it home that the trio have a rather nifty way with a battered Strat, cheap-ass keyboard and second-hand AC30. They’ve set themselves up nicely here, already nipping on the heels of fellow slacker extraordinaires [a]Surfer Blood[/a] and [a]Yuck[/a]…Matt WilkinsonSunbronzed Greek Gods .
Based on rating 3.5/5
Review Summary: Is it summer yet?What’s your favourite thing about summer? The sun? The booze? The bikinis? Summer is my favourite time of the year in almost every way, especially so for the music it brings. I live for the upbeat, happy-go-lucky albums that are bound to rule the hot June days and I imagine anyone else who enjoys the same music probably feels the same way. I mean, just to digress for a moment, does anyone listen to metal at the beach? Tanning, with some guy loudly pig squealing about the undutiful medieval kings of yore in the background? Did the Pagan overlords ever just take a day to soak up the sunshine? Do Slayer make swim trunks? Is corpse paint water-resistant? There's a lot left unanswered.
Based on rating 5/10
Blog hype ushered in Dom’s first EP, along with debates whether they were merely trying to capitalize on a hot trend paved by MGMT and Girls, or if they actually were the next big thing. Feeding the hype machine, Dom's frontman (also named Dom) ruffled critics’ feathers by admitting that he strove to be “the Madonna of garage rock. ” Madonna comparisons are a big stretch, and garage rock is a term that fits loosely, but there is no question that the quintet's freshman outing is a deliberate -- and deliberately slack -- attempt at conventional pop.
Based on rating 5/10
Worchester, MA’s Dom is, in some ways, an exciting new band to watch. They’re not interested in the whole lo-fi gauze—their songs on Sun Bronzed Greek Gods prefer a shimmering clarity—and they deliver refreshingly direct songs with catchy hooks and infectious choruses. On standout single “Living in America”, they sound capable of being one of the next great pop-rock acts.
Based on rating D
Dom, the founder and main songwriter for the band Dom (that must get confusing), is pretty set on his band’s goals despite their relative infancy. “We want to be the Madonna of garage rock,” he says on their official website. It’s an ambitious path to take, but after listening to some of the songs on Sun Bronzed Greek Gods, you may be convinced that this group has what it takes to succeed.
Opinion: Very Good
The four members of Dom use only their first names to help dodge past debts, but don’t let their scruffy looks and slacker attitudes fool you into thinking they play ragged garage-rock. In fact this quartet from Worcester, Massachusetts burst onto the scene with a homespun blend of 80’s synth-rock and hazy dream-pop with a dash of sassy surf-punk spirit. To help provide wider distribution of their unique brand of music, Astralwerks has re-mixed and re-mastered their 7-song EP, Sun Bronzed Greek Gods, while keeping the original DIY essence intact.
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