Dead Cells – I [Vancouver PUNK] – New LP
Vancouver, BC PUNK!
brought to Green Noise thanks to Josh Nickel (of Chain Whip fame) and his label Neon Taste in Vancouver, Canada. In fact, this is a Vancouver band, and while the dark minimal punchy punk sounds like the Pacific Northwest, elements owe something to the goth punk of Berlin (and other places) so it's not surprising that the German label Erste Theke Tonträger picked this up. And good thing someone did because this jumps from the gate and never lets up, hoofs hitting the rain-soaked concrete running, drumming black top and cracking black ice, stomping out of the thick Pacific Northwest fog just about midnight just to serve punk justice and rapid-punch you in the face. -- winch (green noise)
"DEAD CELLS out of Vancouver do it dark, desperate, and minimal. An archaic sound from the gothic ages of punk - when punk was catchy, but also dangerous. Going back to the three chord song, with downstrokes, vicious energy, and the two minute deadline, night church in the post apocalyptic wasteland. Desperation, angst and frustration pepper the words that twist and turn like daggers to the back of dictators. Guitar attacks carry melody and chord changes backed by a rhythm section that runs the risk of falling off the edge of the cliff. It's complimented by a brooding vocalist that half shouts-half sings. Yes, the songs are catchy, and yes DEAD CELLS will get stuck in your head and even sometimes put a spring in your step, but these songs are close to utter brilliance. This goes way, way beyond the “punk kids playing post punk” thing going around. The tone of the songs, and of the album as a whole, is just as important as the content. The guitar is somehow bright and dark at the same time. Chorus and reverb effects give it a shimmer, but distortion and minor and diminished chords dull that shimmer enough to keep everything dark. It’s like a beefed up version of an 80’s post-punk bands’ sound. Dark, anxious, paranoid, manic, obsessive, melodic, misanthropic, gothy, punk - Don't sleep on this."