Dance Gavin Dance – Acceptance Speech

Remember back when you could tell an album was lovingly birthed from three or four guys eating pizza in a basement and rehearsing in their garage?  Some of that remains true for certain bands even when they outgrow their basement studios.  But you can sure bet Dance Gavin Dance is far from that formula.  Instead, the Sacramento, California six-piece feels far more like a corporate calculation, their latest full length, Acceptance Speech, born in the producer’s booth with a band following obediently.

First and foremost, Dance Gavin Dance is a product of whatever is popular at the time of release.  Throw in some catchy tunes along with squeaky-clean vocals and overlay them with some hard riffs and hardcore vocals; mix it all altogether and what do you get?  Another example of a trendy stylistic dichotomy that would have been hearsay 15 years ago, but is as common as mud as it fills the ranks of Rise Records, Victory Records, and the former Trustkill Records over the past decade.  Think Coheed & Cambria meets Like Moths To Flames and you get the picture.  After listening to songs like “The Robot With Human Hair Pt. 4,” you can’t help but get the feeling that the band is saying “Hey! Check us out! Look how different we are!  We’re totally catchy!  But that doesn’t stop us from being as tough as nails!”  It’s enough to make you roll your eyes and throw up your arms in disgust.

The bottom line is that Acceptance Speech is incredibly predictable.  Once you’ve heard opener “Jesus H. Macy,” you’ve really heard all Dance Gavin Dance can offer.  Sure, the band does delve into plenty of auto tune effects, beat skipping, and quirky patterns (“Demo Team” is particularly heavy on them), but when production gloss creates some of the most notable variation, there’s more than just something small amiss.  Even the reasonable guitar work and frequent solos lose their luster after only a few repetitive instances. 

Despite my obvious offense, Dance Gavin Dance doesn’t come as surprise.  The band has been around long enough to amass a sizeable fanbase, but remains shackled servants to their narrow sighted niche.  With Acceptance Speech serving as the group’s final album on Rise Records, it seems that even their former label has recognized that there is more of a future with recent signees like Dave Hause or returning classics The Early November.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s no big loss.