DORP pride themselves on looking backwards to go forwards (so why didn’t they call themselves PROD then?) and they live up to it: DORP sound ten years out of date.
If I were to suggest anyone for a Placebo tribute band then DORP would be my only candidate. That might seem unfair when you hear their début single “Pigs Do Fly”, but this is actually the least representative song on Humans Being… and even then it manages a sprightly Brian Molko-esque vocal combined with drum heavy art-Goth riffing.
DORP deliberately court music magazine coverage (why else name a track “NME”?) and - as Humans Being rolls on - begin to look at gender confusion issues; “Boy/Girl” sees them plunge into notions of sexual identity that were first explored by their far more photogenic progenitors.
It’s only when we get to the rather more individual “Plug Into The Machine” - a turbo-driven romp through electronics at the edge of their sell-by date - that DORP even come into focus. They chuck in large choruses, stuttering guitars and a hook that would earn it a place as a Placebo album track.
The comparisons that DORP endure (Radiohead, Beck, Nine Inch Nails and U2) only serve to hide what is plainly visible to anyone with ears. The precise drumming, the over-burdened bass, the slippery electronica, the chunky guitars and the Geddy Lee tribute vocals all call up those heady early days of glam-Goth transgender thrills. “London Out There”, “Rollercoaster” and closing track “I Got What You Need” are all rhythmic and catchy… but they owe their entire existence to Placebo.
So what we have are several good songs bolstered by a bunch of filler, and that makes DORP a tricky proposition; Humans Being isn’t a strong album, but individual tracks stand out well. Ironically, the song “Stand Out” really isn’t one of them, however; as for “Simon Says”, with its poorly constructed lyrics and chorus, the less said the better.
I suppose a one third hit rate for good songs is actually pretty reasonable, but the obvious similarities to a better-known band will hamper DORP’s bid for chart attention.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: alt-rock, alternative, DORP, Humans Being, indie
