I
’ve often compared Dappled Cities to an Australian version of The Shins. I think it is about time a lot more people had a listen.
For those not familiar with Australian ‘art rock’ band Dappled Cities, I will give you a quick history of the band and their home town of Sydney. In 2001, four Sydney high-schoolers formed Dappled Cities (originally called Dappled Cities Fly) with the idea of playing music together and to other people. Sadly, in Australia in 2001 dance music dominated the Sydney music scene. Certain cities around the world are cyclical in the sense that one ‘style’ of music becomes popular, and venues are adapted around that (Vancouver in Canada is a perfect example of this in North America). Throughout the ’90s and into the noughties, clubs in Sydney were full of the beautiful people dancing until the early hours in an all-or-nothing statement of Australian identity.
If playing unpopular music was not enough, Dappled Cities in 2001 were faced with another obstacle. “We got together when we were underage,” singer and guitarist Tim Derricourt explains, “so we couldn’t play in bars or anything, there was nowhere for us to play.” These stormy beginnings could have also been the premature end of their high school band, but it took a selection of artists to change the landscape of music in the city, and put Australia back on the world map. “It was around [2002-2003] that there was the whole talk of ‘the saviours of rock and roll’ happening, like The Vines,” mentions Dappled Cities singer and guitarist Dave Rennick, “which really kicked all the clubs out of Sydney and made way for venues.”
Whereas the ‘Saviours of Rock and Roll’ from Oceania that were touted in 2001 (The Vines, The Datsuns, Jet) have all dropped off my musical map, Dappled Cities have been steadily producing excellent albums. I also mean actual albums here, like full-length records, not just singles. After their debut A Smile (2004), their coming of age release Granddance (2006) permitted a few nationwide tours of the USA and an almost annual trip to SXSW. The second track off their second LP, “Work It Out,” epitomizes Dappled Cities in their effort for excellent indie music with each band member playing a strong role:
Having two highly capable singers and lyricists greatly adds to the band. Here is “Within Hours,” showing off the vocals and lyrics of Dave Renwick:
Dappled’s excellent second album, Granddance, is available for free download here, courtesy of LA label Dangerbird Records.
Their third album, Zounds, released in 2009, received high praise down under but never really took hold of the bountiful markets of North America and Europe, despite the band having honed their craft considerably. The Sydney stalwarts have made their love of embracing the grandiose and the ridiculous into an art form, concocting albums that are not only truly listenable, but incredibly enjoyable and open to a wide audience. Examples of this include their attempt at a super smash hit on the Billboard charts, “The Price,” being on the same album as “Stepshadows,” where the Dappled boys (led by Tim Derricourt) cap off the exhilarating Zounds with a series of bom-bom-boms.
Dappled Cities recently announced via Twitter that the recording – in LA and Sydney – of their as-yet untitled Fourth Album has been completed. News on the release to follow!