Headphones On

I've always believed in Dubstar. I've had more than one "Sarah Blackwood" haircut in my lifetime, yet I was left disappointed with their last full length release, "Goodbye". I didn't feel they were living up to their potential. So I raised the bar. I hoped that they could get back to the land of 'no-wrong' they were at with their freshman release "Disgraceful". I didn't realize they could actually surpass it.

"Make it better" was what the fans asked for, and Dubstar didn't disappoint this time. Three years have passed since their last album and I finally feel Dubstar have shown us their true talent. Sliding between pure pop and timid ballads, I'm reminded why I originally fell in love with the Dubstar sound. Sarah's voice is once again reaching new heights and the lads behind the keyboards and guitars demonstrate what brought them to the become musicians in the first place.

The line between trip-hop and dance is a narrow one, yet dubstar walk this highwire with extreme grace and certainty. The keyboards are less Pet Shop Boys and more industrial now. The guitars have drowned out the old string section, leaving the listener feeling refreshed. The social messages of "just a girl" aren't gone, but have become slightly jaded. Take a lyric from "Rise to the top" as an example, "But with the way that you look at everyday, you know that things are going to get worse". The rose colored glasses have obviously clouded, but the band isn't quiet ready to give up. They've moved on, and are looking at music from a fresh perspective, "I'm a liar, you're a cheat, I'm tired, you're asleep, times change and so must we" (Swansong).

Dubstar have returned to their roots, the One Dove influences have come back to the forefront of the celestial sound developed years ago. "When the world knows your name", originally titled "when the world knows your gay", gives us a shadowy glimpse into the past the band has finally come to terms with. "The self same thing" shows us why the "just a girl" Dubstar are a thing of the past, "it's the self same thing, I hope one day you'll understand we've an equal stake in all we plan, So put aside the divide you see, I'm a girl, You're a boy, It's so simple to see that .... we are the same."

In a decade when too many bands put out intriguing debut cds, yet couldn't follow them up with substantial sophomore sounds, Dubstar may have finally jumped ahead of the pack. The Mono, Hooverphonic and St Etienne comparisons can finally fall to the wayside, as Dubstar have honed their talent into a sound of their own. I remember in 1995 when 'Disgraceful' wouldn't leave my cd player. At the time, Dubstar were creating a hazy alter universe that I felt safe in. That alter universe isn't gone, but may have melted into a kinder reality.

Originally published at Excellent Online