Dive Dive - Revenge of the Mechanical Dog

  by Daniel Cressey

published: 25 / 1 / 2007

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Review

This strangely named second album from UK punksters Dive Dive shows once again why they are often hailed as worthy of wider acknowledgement. Opening track ‘Let the Blind Lead the Blind’ serves as a statement of intent – angry, brash and gorgeously paranoid. But there is more here than this. On ‘Seven of Eight’ we see a quieter, gentler and almost tender side. And for sheer despair the acoustic closing track ‘Idiot Parade’ takes some beating. Staccato and sharp throughout Dive Dive are capable of something more than straightforward punk thrashings. There are shades of Idlewild in the more nuanced styles here. Any band who can tour with Franz Ferdinand, Funeral For A Friend and the Ordinary Boys are clearly not lacking variation, although perhaps lacking a booking agent with taste. Their sound chisels into your head with subtlety and occasionally hits highs that can only be tagged as breathtaking. Although they fail to maintain this level across the whole album the potential of a truly great band is here. A promising new loud.

Track Listing:-

1 Let the Blind Lead the Blind
2 The Game
3 Cuts and Bruises
4 Seven of Eight
5 Maybe I'm Ok
6 Holding Back the Broken Door
7 Take It It's Yours
8 Talentless Fucks
9 Clarence Bodiker
10 Perfectly Pathetic
11 This Ain't Jetplane
12 Idiot Parade