2005-06-21 D-A-D

			"No doubt about it, 'Back to the roots,' would be too much of a trite expression because it doesn't capture the nuances on the album. But still, our battle cry while making this album has been: Remember what we're good at doing. (Jesper Binzer, March 2005) One thing you can take to the bank, though, is that the young veterans of rock known as D-A-D have played in every ring of the rock circus ever since the day the band released the EP, Standing On The Never Never, exactly 20 years ago. Solidly adhering to the principles of guitar-propelled rock music, D-A-D has written many of the chapters in the history of Danish rock during the past couple of decades: From the string of party-hard gems on No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims and Riskin' It All; to the heavier post-grunge songs on Helpyourselfish; through the fetching rock melodies on Simpatico; on to the neo-classic rock tracks of Everything Glows; and, up to the sparkling hit Soft Dogs. They've gained 20 years' worth of experience as a rock band, in the underground, at the top of the charts, headlining festival posters, and now with the back-against-the-wall urgency personified on the album Scare Yourself. The set captures precisely what D-A-D is good at doing, that is, writing ROCK songs expressed through the holy trinity of raw power, emotion and compelling hooks. Tracks such as "Lawrence Of Suburbia," "Good Day (To Give It Up)," "Camping In Scandinavia" and "Little Addict" charm you right back to the days when "Jihad," "Sleeping My Day Away," "D-Law," "Laugh 'n' A ½" and "Bad Craziness" provided a soundtrack to the great rock years of the late-'80s and early-'90s. But, Scare Yourself is a far cry from being a nostalgia trip. You'll hear that instantly in the highly introspective title track, which is also the lead single, as well as in songs like "Allright," "Hey Now," "No Hero" and "Last Chance To Change." Each one a D-A-D-right-now number describing a band that doesn't simply take the good with the bad, but rather, singles out the bad in for cross-examination with a ballsy rock riff and a scary, Boo, at the face in the mirror. To be sure, the period of turbulence following the failed Wig Wam festival tour two summers ago took its toll on D-A-D. But the band chose to address the turbulence, turmoil and mixed vibrations in the sound studio where the creativity going into composition quickly became the decisive force that kept them moving ahead. "We seemed to conjure up songs without having to search for them. That was a tremendous joy for us, and the element that got everything rolling," Jesper says, about the beginnings of a process that took nearly two years to complete. A steady flow of inspiration and long days in the sound studio spawned 25 new songs - 11 of them were carefully selected, refined and recorded to become Scare Yourself. For the first time in their career the band handled production, though with a helping hand at the console, mostly from Henryk Lipp (Sator, Millencolin, Union Carbide Productions, 59 Times The Pain) and with a bit of help from Michael Ilbert (Roxette, The Cardigans, The Hellacopters, Sator). "We shopped around for some inspiration, but discovered we could do it best ourselves," Jesper concludes. So, with the band as composers, musicians and producers, Scare Yourself sounds undeniably like the nucleus of D-A-D in 2005: Back to the roots and roll out the nuances. Discography Standin' On The Never Never (EP 1985) Call Of The Wild" (album 1986) D.A.D. Draws A Circle (album 1987) No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims (album,1989) D.A.D. Special (compilation 1989) Osaka After Dark (live album 1990) Riskin' It All (album 1991) Helpyourselfish (album 1995) Good Clean Family Entertainment You Can Trust - Milestone Material 85-95 (compilation 1995) Simpatico (album 1997) Psychopatico (live album 1998) Everything Glows (album 2000) The Early Years (compilation 2000) Soft Dogs (album 2002) Scare Yourself (album, release: May 23, 2005) Official website: www.dad.dk Back