Sent for refined taste, synth rock fanatics straight from retro-80s pop heaven (or, as we folks still on earth call it, the groundbreaking indie music scene of San Francisco), Dangermaker has risen above an early tragedy to continue to create infectious and jangly, bold, sweeping anthems and fun dance floor ready gems on their perfectly titled, quickly paced new full length album Run. The story goes that shortly after these four fired up musicians of varied influences went into the studio to record their first sessions in 2011, singer, songwriter and charismatic frontman Adam Brookes’ dad died suddenly.
The emotional maelstrom in the wake of the personal tragedy led to a deeper creativity and dynamic energy than they could have imagined. They’ve been an integral part of the Bay Area scene ever since – playing music festivals with the likes of Florence & The Machine and Modest Mouse, and touring well beyond their home region. Though there’s not a misfire among the 11 soul-grabbing tracks, there are numerous highlights that bear mentioning. Dangermaker’s beyond catchy house music influenced single “Pressure” builds with punchy, guitar sizzling anticipation towards a boisterous chorus that perfectly reflects the lyrics about a sense of urgency. They say it’s bringing them down, but those who listen will gladly disagree.
“In A Dream” has cool verses showcasing the soulful Bowie-esque cool of Brookes’ voice before a chorus of wild wordless vocals soar in. Ditto the funky, tightly wound (and slightly spacey) “Ashes to Ashes” which features one of the album’s most memorable melodies and sly references to ground control and Major Tom. It’s much deeper in the tracking, but don’t miss the fanciful dreamscape “Sleepwalking,” which blends sultry passages with blistering fire. The fire in Dangermaker’s music comes from a place of heartfelt catharsis, but that initial mourning turns into a pure celebration of life, culminating in this supremely enjoying album.