Do you get the feeling that the world is a tough place to be right now? As this longer-than-usual winter comes to a close, we’re getting hit with the economic fallout, alongside the non-stop news reports on civil uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as natural disasters in New Zealand and Japan. You would imagine that this might turn us into a bunch of cantankerous pessimists, wallowing in the misery of it all. However, rather than sinking yet another bottle and dipping into our post-dubstep, minimalist comas, we find ourselves searching out music that’s bursting with positivity instead!
We’ve recently covered the likes of The Polarsets, Walk The Moon and Grouplove, among others, all of which blast you with waves of joy and an infectious, care-free abandonment. They get under your skin, like a comforting distraction that takes your mind away from your reality of your world. Well, Good Dangers gave me those same tender feelings that give you the upward curl at edges of your lips.
The London five-piece aim to press the same cosmic pop buttons as MGMT, but they leave out all the synthetic pomp and bullshit, instead filling that vacuous, superficial space with warm, summer jelly. It’s still early days and they’ve not yet found the tightness that an expensive production can bring, informing us that their music is recorded in their living rooms, but the evidence already on show has us hypnotised so far.
Beat Of Your Heart begins with a slacked bassline, that we imagine Howard plays with a Robert Smith-esque, upward roll of the eyes, but within a few bars Maxim’s sparkling lead guitars tip-toe in, reminiscent of the way John Squire lifted every Stone Roses tune out of the mire. Gavin’s vocals then swim into view smoothing the tune out further, ultimately making a song that sounds like it couldn’t possibly be formed in the UK, so full of positivity, as he states “you shouldn’t dream alone“.
Abigail drifts less, as the band drive with a little more determination, yet we still find them singing about dreams. Much in the same way as we get the handful of other available tunes, here is a track that’s at it’s best when the intricate elements are front and centre, whilst the simple chords set the pace, much like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, or other similar, American-friendly summer soundtracks.
The band found each other at Goldsmiths University, a college known for producing a handful of luminaries, such as James Blake or Damon Albarn, among others. They initially played in different bands to begin with, eventually gravitating towards one another, forming Good Dangers around eighteen months ago.
They’ve mentioned being selective about the live shows they play, choosing to reach their public in small, quality steps, rather than as one giant, swamped, PR attack. In an age of Internet saturation this attitude should serve them well. You can see them this Thursday (March 24th) supporting Grand Forever, at the Hoxton Bar and Grill (it’s free!), and then supporting them again at the Catch venue on April 13th, returning to the same venue on May 27th, for Friday Night Fist Fight. We believe that occasional shows and tiny steps might just be the perfect way for both us and them to step out of the darkness and into the inevitable light. (MB)
GOOD DANGERS – BEAT OF YOUR HEART
GOOD DANGERS – ABIGAIL
