Mentioning Dr. Martens in the opening ten seconds of your record is a pretty clear way of stating your intentions for the remaining thirty minutes. In fact, judge ‘More Bloody Bad News’ on those first ten minutes and you will either be ecstatic about their unashamed punk approach, or be reaching towards the off switch at an alarming rate.
‘More Bloody Bad News’ is a punk record through and through, from the impressively raw vocals delivered by Lee Wall and Joe Alderdice, to the outwardly simple song structures that hide serious consideration and technicality under a level of aggressive light-heartedness. THE DAUNTLESS ELITE are boosted by their undeniable Britishness; be it the atypical decision to retain their northern accents, or the somewhat satirical and often whimsical choice of lyrics. Whereas a wealth of punk bands from elsewhere attempt to mimic the success of American counterparts through style and content, there is something truly refreshing about ‘More Bloody Bad News’. The brazen attitude of the record harks more to the heyday of punk than any Americanisation could have achieved.
Even with the revitalising elements of the LP, it is by no means flawless. The limited vocal range across the record fails to add an engaging depth to the sound, and despite various changes to tempo and to the underlying influences on the music, ‘More Bloody Bad News’ ends up feeling considerably longer than its half hour playing time. The fleeting moments of more melodic based compositions help to alleviate the record (see ‘Danson In The Dark’ and ‘Silent Running’), yet benefit would be found in authentically captivating the audience.
The second LP by THE DAUNTLESS ELITE on Bombed Out Records is infectious enough to be enjoyable, however oversights in the structure and the noticeable lack of variation can grate on the listener. Pleasingly the flaws are nowhere near big enough to reach for the off-switch in the end, and ‘More Bloody Bad News’ remains more than worthy of a listen.
BEN TIPPLE