DARK BLUE • Start Of The World • LP

Adagio830

Dark Blue follow up their debut LP, ‘Pure Reality’ (Jade Tree), with ‘Start Of The World’ (/ ADAGIO830/ 12XU) - a soundtrack of a decaying United States.

Each song drips with the realities of atrocities happening all around us. John Sharkey III (Vocals, Guitar) pushes Dark Blue far beyond the post-punk meets oi sound they perfected on their earlier releases, and adds elements of brit-pop and shoegaze.

 Recorded by Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, Nothing), ‘Start Of The World’ is a pop album that makes no apologies. Boot stomping opener “Union of Buffoons,” sets the political tone for this album with an anthem for workers' rights. Sharkey's biting lyrics: "You can’t fight this, you can’t win… screw you once, they’ll screw you twice," is a reference to human expendability in the face of deregulation and the stagnancy of labor rights. "Never Wanted to Hurt You" is a pop song in the highest order with guts and an undeniable chorus that would make Noel Gallagher jealous even at his most jaded. The 50's doo-woop and surf rock sound of "Bombs on the Beach" initially feels like a left turn for the band, evoking a playful innocence against a sunny backdrop.

While this album shows off new and varying degrees of Sharkey's vocal intensity, Andrew Mackie Nelson (Bass, Ceremony) and Michael Sneeriger (Drums, Strand of Oaks) shine, guiding the songs in ways other releases haven't shown before . Tracks such as "Be Gone Everyone" and "Western Front" underscore just how comfortable the band has gotten.
‘Start Of The World’ is the kind of record that Dark Blue has always promised: a collection of smart, fully realized songs that tell stories. With the world falling apart around us, Dark Blue continues to give voice to neglected perspectives, many unnerving but all necessary to hear. We need a defiant record like this to remind us that just as there was start to all of this destruction, there can also be an end.

Tracklist:
01. Union Of Buffoons
02. Be Gone Everyone
03. I Never Wanted To Hurt You
04. Paralyzed By Fear
05. You Know Who
06. Bombs On The Beach
07. Tired Of The Poor
08. Western Front Academy