I think the best way to start talking about a band like Random Dander and their latest effort Second Cuming is to just jump two feet in. No introductory paragraph. No form.
I’m still bopping my head along to “Smooth Moves.” Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, duh. Dah, dah, dah, dah, duh. It’s like the tornadic, crunchy guitar wall took over the vocals and created this massive buildup of winding guitar stretches and sliding whales. The guitar is dirty with soul; it’s vocal companion Jackie Lee strutting her stuff flawlessly. Lee is more Janis Joplin than Pat Benatar; more Candy Slice than Gilda Radner. She’s outstanding but the guitar work on this track is mesmerizing.
What a fun jam.
“How You Gonna” has a 70s rock musical bed feel to it. The layers of guitar (you picking up on this yet) is crushingly good. It’s another tune to crank way, way up. “Manna Stache” had me breathing a bit heavier; my heartbeat tried to stay in line with the percussion. Lee’s presentation and range in “Manna Stache” is quite interesting. Her tone and effortless confidence encompasses the listener.
There’s a lot of sounds – funk, punk, rock, and other worldly weirdness that Random Dander throws out at you. Of the eight tracks on Second Cuming, I didn’t find anything less than invigorating and highly entertaining. I loved the energy and became enamored with the tightness and auras created. Such colors and even hues of blues echoed through their productions.
“Skin Lizard” caps off the album. It’s fast paced tempo and changing layers kept me guessing and chasing more. Well done. Well played. Well, just, gotta give it an overall A review.
