Obviously that album cover grabbed me with the sort of death metal font going on there, completely contrasting with the non-attention grabbing band name, both contrasting with the bright pink background color. Simple, but arresting. Something smelled of a mad genius at work here, and after listening to one song by this Danish “newcomer”, there was no question this was the case. Certainly not everyone’s cup of tea with his very deep baritone voice, but it’s such a unique element to the music, and yet it doesn’t stick out too much when everything else going on is so fascinating and richly textured. I put “newcomer” in parenthesis earlier because this release, as evidenced by the title, is a collection of three EPs that were previously released over the course of the last three years, in anticipation of his forthcoming debut album. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come as Three EPs can easily stand on it’s own as a complete artistic statement with its firm grasp of pop songwriting and adventurous sonic craftsmanship. If any fans of Ariel Pink are reading this, you would be smart in checking out this album. Dinner’s music is definitely his own thing, but there are so many distinctive moments and elements (not including the pink album cover) with kooky sounds, lyrics, and pop music references, that the comparison is inevitable. The website for his label, Brooklyn’s fantastic Captured Tracks, sums it up perfectly in their description of Dinner: “he sounds something like the soundtrack to David Lynch directing Miami Vice, or Genesis P-Orridge embracing Italian pop-infused Danish darkwave, or like a male descendant of Nico singing Eno-esque pop songs on discarded Julian Cope tracks”. That sums it up quite well in terms of sound. In terms of feeling I think this is where the album could be alienating to many. The majority of tracks are upbeat and catchy and poppy as hell (if you’re willing to accept some of the best pop music is far outside the world of Taylor Swift), but there are tracks that can bring the mood down – as beautiful as the sounds can be. Songs like ‘Love Is Death’ can be hard to take, especially sung in that low baritone. Even a song like ‘You Are Like LA’, in all its pop sheen, sounds like a put down of someone in his life (if I’m understanding the lyrics properly). Regardless, anyone with adventurous tastes in pop music and love for 80s music will have a lot to love here, and as far as I’m concerned, this collection is brilliant and catchy as hell.

Label

Captured Tracks