DARTZ 2005-2009

"DARTZ were a Math rock group from Middlesbrough...." begins the obituary on DARTZ's (old?) website, before proceeding to explain what DARTZ, Middlesbrough and math rock are all about. I won't bother regurgitating the information - mainly because they have, with what appears to be judicious copy and pasting of Wikipedia. What I will say though is that DARTZ were good, and at times great. See brilliant singles 'Once, Twice, Again!' and St. Petersburg' for evidence.


I sadly missed their final gig in Kingston the other night but I trust it was a fitting farewell for an underappreciated band. They lost an exclamation mark along the way and are survived by a debut album, 'This Is My Ship', released on Xtra Mile.

DARTZ - THE END, MOVING ON

"Don't forget us". We won't. Goodbye DARTZ.

MySpace // Last.fm

Championes

If you're in any way a football fan, then you probably know who the winner of the 2008 UEFA Champions League is by now. I, on the other hand, will be locked in my room desperately trying to cram for my final exam. A mood possibly summed up best by Calvin & Hobbes:

This post is actually more about the birth of my new blog, [Armchair Sports Fan], which is somewhat obviously sport related. It continues my track record for crappy blog names - I wanted to call it Smells Like Team Spirit but that was taken. Curses. Anyway, it will be debuting on the 24th, also the second anniversary of Keep Hope Inside (heralded by "exciting" celebratory posts). And they say men can't multi-task. Pfft.

Over at Armchair Sports Fan, I'll be discussing topical sporting issues (stuff like EURO2008, the Beijing Olympics, F1 and England generally being rubbish at every sport going) as well as some other entertaining stuff I don't mention on here. It'll be good. Hopefully. Don't worry, this blog remains numero uno in my blog priorities.

Back to the football, I am incredibly thankful that Zenit St Petersburg foiled Rangers attempt at the "unprecedented" quadruple. You don't expect to see anti-football throughout a tournament and class prevailed in the end. Likewise, Chelsea hopefully haven't won the Champions League. Although Avram Grant deserves one title this season. But he's probably getting sacked anyway....

Northern band DARTZ showed their support for the Russians (no, not Chelski) by making their ace single 'St Petersburg' a free download on their MySpace. Read what I had to say about DARTZ (back when they still had an exclaimation mark) in October 2006 [here].

DARTZ - ST PETERSBURG
-----

Last chance reminder to download my third podcast, featuring Johnny Foreigner, a Joy Division cover and all sorts of fun. Listen/download [here] before it disappears tomorrow. A new podcast may appear in the next few days too if there's a lull in post-exam celebrations.

DARTZ!

One of DARTZ!'s songs proclaims that "DARTZ! is good. For your brain.", very much a true story. Formerly known as Darts, this trio hail from the North East and are just bloody great. Time seems to be on their side too, forming in early 2005 with two of the three members only just completing their A levels this summer.

A Futureheads comparison is almost inevitable what with the slight geographical and musical closeness of the two bands but DARTZ! are much more than just an angular tribute band. Q And Not U and The Dismemberment Plan are often mentioned in their reviews but with influences such as Bjork and Dilinger Escape Plan, expect the unexpected. And considering I have no idea what the hell they're singing about, you can feel some At The Drive-In stylings.

'Once, Twice, Again!'is one of the best pop songs ever. It's compellingly vibrant without a sign of pretension in sight - this is just hypnotic, pulsating pop. First, your head starts nodding, then your foot starts tapping and before you know it, you're out there making a prat of yourself on the dancefloor. It's all worth it for DARTZ! though.

DARTZ! - Once, Twice, Again!

Pringles might have come up with the slogan "once you pop, you just can't stop" and DARTZ! seem to agree with new single 'St.Petersburg' being another slice of dazzling pop genius. Lasting a miserly two and a bit minutes, they manage to cram in some despair, a nice little breakdown that mentions Japanese cars and from then on, a chaotically energetic last minute of jagged pop. This is also the first taste of their forthcoming album entitled 'This Is My Ship' out early next year. Can't wait!

You can find a video for St.Petersburg and listen to DARTZ! tracks on their MySpace [link]