Slingshot Dakota – Their Dreams Are Dead But Ours Are The Golden Ghost

I like to pretend I have an eclectic taste in music and that I like a wide variety of styles and genres; and I think that, in some ways, that’s true. While yes, I do tend to be confined to the “punk” style – that style has now become so diluted that it has expanded enough to encompass many styles and sounds. This enables me to stay in my comfort zone while still branching out and experimenting. It means I’m aloud to love the catchy and fast paced pop-punk styles of The Lawrence Arms, Loved Ones or NOFX, skate-punk like Bad Religion and Pennywise, lush, gigantic sounds like Muse and even the raucous explosion of energy that comes from The Dropkick Murphys or Streetlight Manifesto. There are times though where the best CDs are much more old fashioned than that, built on sincerity, simplicity and honesty. Bands like Greg Graffin, Attica! Attica!, Tegan & Sara, Attack In Black and The New Dress have all captivated my attention for some reason or another thanks to their organic nature.

Now, Slingshot Dakota is yet another band for me to add to that list of bands. Their sophomore album, Their Dreams Are Dead, But Ours Is The Golden Ghost, was my first introduction to the band and one I doubt I’ll soon forget. With only a drum set and keyboard at their disposal, the duo from New York shows that a lot can be done with very little.

Tom Patterson’s drums fill the song with rhythm that instantly catches your attention and you soon are tapping your foot along with it. The drumming features some post-hardcore elements while never becoming too explosive but fill the song with a sense of controlled chaos. Contrary to Patterson’s drumming style are Carly Commando’s melody contributions. The keyboard fluctuates from near classical pieces (Ohio andTour Song) to heavy distortion (Lullaby) or nimble pieces that slowly grow in intensity (I-78). Her vocals may not be the strongest available today, Tegan & Sara and The New Dress both feature stronger singers, however they work great in the song and both the Quinn sisters and Laura Fidler would sound out of place amongst The Golden Ghost.

The true selling point of the album though comes from the lyrics that Commando so effortlessly delivers. There is not only a sense of honesty within them but a joyous sense of adventure. Songs about friendships, love, community, and touring, the songs scream out “you know what, at least I’m living my life and will have a set of memories that no one can erase.” They are intelligent and relatable, self-questioning but hopeful and consistently inspiring. The lyrical content is also nicely reflected in the music style of each song. Wave has a sense of fluidity thanks to the lower keyboard melodies, i-78 has a spacious feel thanks to it’s sparse sound which further implants the image of a deserted highway and Ohio! is energetic and hopeful just like the story it depicts.

It’s still very young in 2008 and Their Dreams Are Dead, But Ours Is The Golden Ghosts has given me hope for what is to come. I’m always happy when a band is able to come out of nowhere and captivate my attention so thoroughly and Slingshot Dakota did just that. Simply put, it’s a delightful piece of indie-pop that I see myself pulling out quite often. Think Dresden Dolls and you’ve got a good picture of what to expect.