Reviews list for Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery (2006)

Easily Influenced

A man in a soggy, stained trenchcoat slams the door of the muggy motel room and strolls across the creaky, wooden floor. The uncomfortably arid air leaks through the thin walls, turning the tolerable room into a prison as light shone from a singular lamp beside the bed. The man slaps his stack of notes below the lamp with a sharp rustle, continuing to ignore the struggling handcuffed man wrestling with his shackles that are entwined around the foot of the bed below him. The sweating captive snaps his neck upward to see the man unzipping a bag on the bed and relaxes a bit as he pulls out what's inside.

"The fuck are these? Tapes? Keepin' some sort of diary?"

"Oh you know, just a personal project. Some music. Had some friends back home that liked all that alternative metal stuff, one of them played the saxophone...Y'ever hear of Mr. Bungle?"

"Who?"

"Ah well, I'm sure you'd come around to it, why don't you put it on until the cops get here?"

"Cops ain't comin' for ya, jackass. I got a nice, warm home for ya under the floorboards next door."

"Well that's a shame, who knows, maybe it'll give the big, tough private eye some of the answers he's looking for."

"Already got all the answers I need. Y'aint the hardest to trail. Found the poor bitch at the hotel, found the mincemeat on Route 25, and I know where all the sand I smacked outta ya came from. Already know how fucked up ya are. But y'know what, call me curious about what a scumbag calls music." The detective loads the tape into the small player on the nightstand and slams the play button.

The theme of the album is instantly set up from note one with its twisted, dark piano and spoken word but quickly fuses with some lighthearted aspects after the transition into the fantastic opener "The Sacrifice of Miss Rose Covington". The detective side-eyes the squirming captive as the foreboding intro gives way to energetic Alternative Metal riffs that complement the slightly strange drum beats, piano and brass interjections, and a varied vocal performance ranging from subtle musings to aggressive yelling. The slow climb in tempo makes for an incredible transition as the album continues to cement its cinematic, film noir style with the craziness of more trumpets and woodwinds. The dead air of the motel feels like it can be cut with a knife as abrupt transitions that somehow still flow together extremely well spell out some truly lunatic thoughts. Although the music coming out of the small player seems completely unhinged, there are still moments of pure catchiness that show that there's some solid songwriting beneath all the madness all while keeping to the overall theme of the album. The prisoner's head bops along with the sweeping chorus of "Sweet Insanity", which would unfortunately be secretly fixed inside of the detective's mind for longer than he would admit. 

"The hell is this?" scoffed the private eye as the prisoner shrugged at the jarring transition into the acoustic, country-styled "Desert Grave". The eccentricity of the music was expected at this point, but putting this downtrodden, honky-tonk track in-between the infectious "Sweet Insanity" and the quirky, high-energy "Moonlight City Drive" seemed questionable at best as it screeches the album to a halt. Coupled with an outro that feels like it shouldn't even exist, the detective couldn't wait to get back into the intensity of "Moonlight City Drive" with its bizarre, charming atmosphere. 

"Wait, how the fuck did you get my voice?" barks the detective as he closes in on the handcuffed man as the song progresses into some seriously awkward and scandalous recordings. The captive bats his eyelashes and laughs as the detective grasps him by the shirt collar, the recorded gunshot rattling off, signaling the transition into the next song. The detective loosens his grasp as he gets slightly lost in the heavy, up-tempo riffing of "Darkest Days", another admitted highlight of the runtime thus far. He was getting the sense that the music that was playing was a gateway to the mind of his eccentric prisoner, but couldn't exactly place the whole point of it all. His anger and grip on the other man's collar loosens further as his expression changes to that of a perplexing glare when "Dead Virgins Don't Sing" echoed through the motel. The maniacal man mouthed the strange speech from the song, as if it was his manifesto. 

"The hell are you a part of?" muttered the detective as he shoves the man to the ground, releasing his grip. The album progresses in the background into the most compelling song so far, "The Hitchhiker". All of the elements of the album thus far are culminated into a track that has everything from a great riff, a great chorus, an out-of-nowhere interlude, a fantastic climax, and great storytelling. The detective's mind swirls as the song is a one-for-one account of the murder on Route 25 he described previously with even more detail than he even could have dreamed of. The next track comes and goes as the detective tries to make sense of what's happening; he comes to as the title track clumsily begins with its signature sax and sultry bass line. He slowly warms up to the groove after the awkward start; it makes him think back to the classic film noir mysteries on the silver screen, but that fantasy is only elevated by the scratchy, funky guitar riff and great songwriting through this erratic section. The private eye knew the man he had thrown on the motel floor was a criminal, but this admittance of vile acts and brutal, murderous intentions and intrigue made him realize he was dealing with much, much worse. 

"The hell are you trying to pull?" grunts the detective, pulling his gun from his hip and pointing it with a straight arm directly at his captive's forehead. 

"Well Mr. Private Eye, did you enjoy it?"

"...Y'know, it was pretty damn good. Interesting," said the detective, his outstretched right arm not wavering an inch. 

"Easily influenced, aren't we?" laughs the man. 

The private eye clenches his right hand and doesn't even blink as the shot rings out through the small room. He swiftly pockets the weapon inside his coat, strides to the door and slams it behind him.

Not being at all familiar with Mr Bungle and reading the various comments across the Metal Academy forums on this month’s Gateway featured album makes me think I come to Adultery with a less influenced mind in terms of comparators with the aforementioned band. Taken as a standalone release I think that Dog Fashion Disco manage to deliver a clever, multi-faceted and disturbing selection of songs on their sixth full-length. Along the way they encompass various styles of music, both inside and outside of the realm of metal but at the same time still manage to make the release sound challenging in a very bold and distinctly metal manner.

There is an inherent seediness to Adultery both in terms of the actual concept of “adultery” but also in how the record is written and performed. With a consistent application of corny lyrics, brash riffs and dark cabaret-like arrangements, it is an album that tells its story with a well-chewed, bloody and slightly infected tongue-in-cheek narrative. Although on the surface it does not take itself too seriously, there is in fact no neglect of the requirement to interfere with the normal construct of an album and song structures to still provide a very mature themed album. I would argue it is nigh on impossible to listen to the album through once and not feel its sticky, tacky fingers on your ears for days afterwards.

Whether it is through the dark country music overtones of Desert Grave or the deviously tender and creepy pop sensibilities that seep through across most sections, DFD are constantly sharing their wares with the listener. Urgent horns and racing bass lines keep the attention levels sharp throughout the record and changes of pace to bring in sultrier yet no less threatening tempos are more or less sprung on us like they are all part of one ongoing surprise. The constant sense of theatre is so key to the success of the record as it acts as an almost constant reminder of the need for the listener to put themselves in character for full benefit of the listening experience.

The promise from the artwork of something peculiar and at the same time loosely conceptual being contained in the record is more than delivered over fifty minutes of some of the most oddly charming and humorously riveting music I have heard in a long while.

Maryland-based avant-garde alternative metal outfit Dog Fashion Disco have been around for over 25 years now & I’ve seen their name floating about quite often in that time, usually in connection with their 2006 sixth album “Adultery” which seems to be regarded as their career highlight by a fair margin. The comparisons with Mike Patton & (in particular) Mr. Bungle have always intrigued me as Ben & I spent many an hilarious evening laughing our asses off to Bungle’s 1991 self-titled debut as teenagers in the early 1990’s. They certainly weren’t traversing an artistic space that I would usually have been interested in but god damn if they weren’t as fun as fuck & the same can be said for Dog Fashion Disco if this record is anything to go by.

Now let’s deal with the elephant in the room right from the get-go, shall we? Dog Fashion Disco really love Mr. Bungle & aren’t afraid to show it. In fact, “Adultery” is pretty much a variation on a theme that Patton & co. had already well & truly defined. However, it also has to be said that that statement isn’t something you hear all that often & there aren’t all that many alternatives for diehard Bungle fans in all honesty, particularly ones that are written, performed & executed as well as this one is. The film noir template they’ve based their themes around works beautifully & ensures that the listener is constantly being treated to new scenes & stylistic u-turns while always maintaining a wonderfully fresh energy & an uncanny understanding of a whole plethora of disparate genres.

Front man & band leader Todd Smith sounds a lot like Mike Patton most of the time. In fact, you could say that he’s a dead ringer for him but that doesn’t take away from the clear talent he has for a charismatic delivery of a whole bunch of different tones & techniques. There are a few jarring transitions here & there but they make perfect sense from a thematic point of view which sees you making excuses for them a lot of the time. I definitely enjoy the heavy alternative style guitar parts a lot & think that Dog Fashion Disco are at their best when they’re at their opposite extremes i.e. the chunkier & more up-tempo alternative metal material with the catchy vocal hooks & the much deeper film noir-driven ambience that sees me taking a swift chill pill or two.

The musicianship, song-writing & execution are all top notch & there are plenty of sections that leave me gasping at the sheer ambition on display. The consistency in the song-writing is also outstanding with only the country number “Desert Grave’ failing to engage me which is mainly due to my overarching issues with country music in general. The rest of the album ranges from pretty decent to very solid to absolutely mind-blowing with the peak of the album residing in the sexy stripped back lounge feel of “Private Eye” leading into the total banger that is “The Darkest Days” (i.e. the clear high point of the record for me personally). The themes are certainly intended to be in foreground but don't think that it's essential to follow them in order to enjoy the album. Lyrical content has never been something I've focused on terribly much & after giving this record a few spins I still have no idea what the storyline is about but it really doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things because the music is of a high enough quality to easily stand on its own two feet.

Whether you’re a diehard member of The Gateway clan, a casual fan of alternative metal or simply a curious passer-by, “Adultery” comes thoroughly recommended from this jaded ol’ metalhead. If you ever feel that you need a time-out from the norm & are looking for a temporary escape to a dark & wonderful place filled with mystery & intrigue then Dog Fashion Disco may just have provided you with the perfect outlet.

For fans of Mr. Bungle, Stolen Babies & Polkadot Cadaver.

I have repeatedly stood up for both Mike Patton and Devin Townsend on this website, even when these artists are at their creative worst, because they traverse far beyond simple binary genre tags/descriptors. Dog Fashion Disco is another group that could easily fall into that mix. And nowhere is this comparison more appropriate than on the bands 2006 album Adultery. 

Now to be fair, the comparison to Devin Townsend off the top is less so in the sound of this album and more so due to its compositional style. The sound of this album is absolutely Mike Patton worship, or more specifically, Mr. Bungle. The heavier portions are complimented by smooth jazz and ska portions that would seem remarkably out of place on basically any other album by any other artist. But here, Dog Fashion Disco found a way for these ideas to somehow flow into each other without the use of whiplash transitions or hard stops. And unlike Mr. Bungle, DFD manages to pull these off in about half of the time.

As for the Avant-Garde tag, I think it is well justified given these songs with their frantic nature. But by comparison to Mr. Bungle, this feels more accessible and welcoming to those who are just trying to get their feet wet in the absolutely absurd. Songs like "The Darkest Days" and "100 Suicides" are meshed well with some cool interludes that continue to play into those main themes, but have enough unique characteristics to add to the quirkiness. And the "technical difficulties" interlude on "The Hitchhiker" literally had me jumping out of my seat with how good it was pulled off!

But like with all quirky albums such as this, your enjoyment will be dependent on how much nonsense you can tolerate. This album has an excess of filler. And while I might really enjoy the early album combo of "Sweet Insanity" and "Desert Grave", I cannot uncover any compositional circumstances for the smooth jazz interlude of "Private Eye", and then ending the album with "Adultery" and "Mature Audiences Only". The last of those getting special mention for featuring a supposed "chilling" conclusion, that is inaudible because the strings are mixed so damn close to the front!

I still do like Mr. Bungle and the comparisons to that group on this band/album have not rung hollow on me. This is absolutely diet Mr. Bungle, but that might not be a bad thing. After all, Mr. Bungle is heavily criticized for being too strange. DFD are not clear of this criticism themselves, especially from a production point of view. But they do avant-garde music in a way that includes better compositions than Mr. Bungle, memorable song structures, and a chilling concept.