A breath of fresh air just blew through the Scene. After months of non-stop drama, rumors, and incessant “reporting” focused on nothing but frivolous personal matters and MacBook Pro’s, Dance Gavin Dance have finally released Downtown Battle Mountain II. Now the discussion can once again focus on the music.
 
If 2010 marked the return of Jon Mess and Jonny Craig and the departure of Kurt Travis and Zachary Garren, then 2011 will be known as Dance Gavin Dance’s reunion year. In many ways, the Sacramento, California post-hardcore group is in the midst of a reunion, or rather, a renaissance of sorts. With the reconvening of the “original” lineup— minus guitarist Sean O’Sullivan— Dance Gavin Dance’s sequel to their beloved 2007 debut full-length, Downtown Battle Mountain, finds the group returning to form after 2009’s lackluster Happiness.
 
Yet, Downtown Battle Mountain II also finds the group combining elements of all their previous releases, regardless of who was on lyrical or vocal duties. “Spooks” begins the record much like “Tree Village” began Happiness and “Alex English” began 2008’s self-titled release: with a slow build up followed by an explosion of sound. It becomes obvious from the moment Jon Mess starts his vicious screams that there has been a serious improvement in his delivery. Throughout the record, Mess handles the screaming duty with more finesse than on any of his previous efforts. On “The Robot With Human Hair Pt. 2 ½” and “Pounce Bounce,” Mess’ screams are spine-tingling good as his unique technique is comprehensible enough to allow the listener to decipher his eccentric lyrics. Mess’s delivery is not metalcore-fare, electing to ignore the common screamer compulsion to hit the lowest possible key in an effort to capture the severest of all death-growls.
 
The return of Jonny Craig adds a different dimension than that of former clean-vocalist, Kurt Travis. Craig’s smooth delivery adds a powerful punch when compared to Travis’s rougher, higher pitched vocals, which is no slight against Travis. Craig’s distinctive R&B-esque vocals compliment Mess’s contributions slickly, highlighting the strong chemistry that still exists between the two. On “Elder Goose,” “Heat Seeking Ghost Of Sex,” and “Blue Dream” Craig shines, despite that the first track would not be out of place on Craig’s solo record, 2009’s A Dream Is A Question You Don’t Know How To Answer. There is a distinctive difference between Craig’s vocals on his other full-time band, Emarosa, records and those found on Dance Gavin Dance records. It is true that Craig is more reserved on DGD records, but that is not a detriment— rather, a positive contribution allowing DGD’s many other elements to not be overpowered by Craig.
 
Throughout the tumultuous life of Dance Gavin Dance, there has been one constant: Will Swan’s nonpareil, unconventional guitar work. The riff-master steals the show on Downtown Battle Mountain II, one hell of a feat when competing with limelight hoarders such as Jon Mess and Jonny Craig. Swan’s work is a combination of mathy chords (a la Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos) and metal riffs (a la Every Time I Die’s Andy Williams). There is no question that Mess is the backbone of every track on Downtown Battle Mountain II— he even lends some rhymes on tracks such as the aforementioned “Spooks” and “Previously Poncheezied,” which will remind the listener of some sort of Gorrilaz monster for a few seconds. If one took Craig and Mess’s vocals away, it would still be satisfactory, even preferable, for many listeners to hear just Swan slaying on the ax. He is perhaps the most underrated guitarist in the scene, criminally hidden beneath the drama that surrounds the band he helped form back in 2005.
 
Whether one loves or hates Dance Gavin Dance, there is no denying their uniqueness and ability to stand out among the cluttered and redundant post-hardcore genre. There are not many bands that can leap from brutal, hardcore tunes to R&M, pop-inspired dance tracks with such ease and grace. Yes, grace. There is never any assurance that Dance Gavin Dance will survive even another month as band. Yet, this volatility is exactly what Rock n’ Roll is about: danger and unpredictability. Perhaps the group is not everyone’s cup of tea, but to dismiss them due to their extracurricular activities and the soap-opera that is their career without giving their music a chance would be ignorance exemplified. If Downtown Battle Mountain II ends up being the last record Dance Gavin Dance ever releases, at least the members can hang their hats on knowing that they put their best foot forward before departing.

****/*****

*This review was composed by Mike Meeze