 |
 |
|
 |
November 2003
|
Dopo Yume wear their hearts on their sleeves
By Megan Gerrity
 |
If there were any justice in the pop world, this past summer's theme wouldn't have been some overproduced dance anthem for the 'tween set or the latest R&B anthem, but Dopo Yume's "Central Park". The track shows up at the end of their full-length album, True Romance, and it perfectly captures the hopeful, anything-goes feeling of a summer romance. And with its new wave-style keyboards and melodic female vocals backing up singer Jordan Galland, it's a crossover song that can take you from a smoky nightclub to the brightly lit fields of Central Park itself. |
|
It's those backup vocals, plus good old rock star sex appeal, that have
garnered Dopo Yume press in publications like DailyCandy.com and New York
magazine. Actress/New York scene-staple Bijou Phillips lent her voice to
True Romance, and pop legacy Sean Lennon also provided musical support
to the band's ever-changing lineup. But the credit for the band's unique
form of intelligent rock belongs to founder Jordan Galland. The
singer/songwriter/mastermind has been playing music as Dopo Yume since 1998,
though the band's current lineup (Jopa Keenon on drums/vocals, Kevin
McGinnis on guitar, Adam Crystal on synthesizer) has only recently
coalesced.
Asked to describe the Dopo Yume sound, Galland's poetic, if obtuse, response
is: "Frank Sinatra meets the Clash in Jardin du Luxemberg in 1970s Paris for
a game of croquet, but they're game is stopped short by a meteor shower and
a Sex Pistols concert." His influences are somewhat less abstract,
including the Pixies, David Bowie, Serge Gainsbourg, Blonde Redhead, Air,
Beck, Weezer, and the Wu-Tang Clan.
The band's earlier work more obviously reflected Galland's diverse musical interests, using rap in "Slush Puppies" and psychedelia in "Igloo," for example. "I want to experiment with lots of sounds," says Galland. "I guess it's getting closer to my fantasy with True Romance, but I think I want to combine some of that lumbering evil yet innocent psychedelica of my teenage years back into the present swaggering disco heart attack." | |
| <<< My Back Pages | Dopo Yume II>>> |
who are you? | contact | my back pages
