Wolf Moon Dance by The Darts

The Darts (Lansing) put out a CD April 27th. It's called "Wolf Moon Dance." Before I get to the reason behind the title, my theory (after listening to the record) is that someone joked to the singer, Chris Minarik, that he sounded like a wolf howling at the moon when he sings sometimes. The word "dance" was just added in to look cool.

And now for Chris' version: "Wolves howl at the moon while creating music to dance to."

When I asked if I could quote him on that, he said "no."

He then stated, "I scream at the people while I create music to dance to," and that the title was inspired by his grandmother's house, "with wolf pictures on the wall."

And now to the meat of the story: the music. Does it hold a candle to the hype this band gets from The Hard Lessons (who also hype up the Decks, and Champions of Breakfast, so I am a little torn)?

The CD starts off on a bad note. The cowbell should only be used if it can be executed well. For some reason, it is just a tick off. And as much as I wanted to turn off the CD, I have enjoyed The Darts' live shows in the past. So I continued to listen before completely writing this album off.

Something good: the bass and drums (Jocelyn Klug and Darrin Higgins, respectively) are solid throughout the record (with the exception of the weird cowbell). Live, the bassist's and drummer's presence (presences?) take the backseat to Minarik's stage antics, but not talent-wise. The lead guitar adds extra dynamics to the recording, which was an added bonus (I have never seen the Darts play with a lead guitarist. Their lead guitarist is no longer with the band, btw.).

I was thoroughly confused by the vocals. During live shows, Minarik seems to have quite a good range. Recorded, he sounds exasperated, out of key, and a little too pitchy. This kind of performance could be tolerated if used sparingly, but it's evident in every song on the CD.

I want to say that The Darts remind me of The Pixies. Maybe if Black Francis was a little less pop-savvy, and a little flatter in terms of range.

If I was writing about a live performance, believe me, my tune would be completely different and I would use phrases like 'blown away' or 'wow-ed'. This CD just didn't cut it, though.