Dancing Devil - Small Leaks Sink Ships

"Dancing Devil" is the lead single off the self proclaimed (via Facebook), "5-piece experimental toaster oven with a built-in crumb tray's," seventh studio album, Golden Calf. Although released roughly five months ago, and the music video being published in August, I had not caught wind of the song until I came across the album, Golden Calf-which has just become available this past October 12th, 2017-on the "New And Notable" section of bandcamp's official website. 

To be honest, I had no idea who Small Leaks Sink Ships were and I was just patrolling bandcamp looking for new music and thought "'Small Leaks Sink Ships' now that sounds like a band I can get in to," and "Dancing Devil" was just the first song to be played (kind of a lucky find). 

The first impression I had gained from listening to not only "Dancing Devil," but "Airplane Junkyard," "Dear John Connor," and "Creepin'," was that these guys have the popular alternative/indie rock appeal but they somehow twist and contort that impression to make themselves unique, as each of these songs have a different approach and style to them. To simplify this notion I would say that they sound like a conglomerate of the Pixies,

Bear Hands,

and Cage the Elephant,

I realize this is not a true justification of the band or their sound, but I think this is a close description of their tone, but as I mentioned, Small Leaks Sinks Ships brings a different song to each of their songs. Their method of experimenting allows themselves to broaden their horizons and not have to stick a specific style and can reinvent their sound, even on the same album. Now that's experimental.

The song in question "Dancing Devil," is about dancing or affiliating with a devil, "here in the crops of the garden of Eden," is one such indication. How "he whispers in your ears/tells you what you want to hear," is a sense of manipulation like a devil would. However, what I like about this song is its ability to pertain to anyone dealing with a manipulator, their own devil. "You're the fool," to deal and cater to your devil's zealous behaviors and motives, but the somber and soft cadence of the song offers that sense empathy and understanding of the difficulties when battling demons. This is especially apparent around the three minute mark in the song when drum machines and bumping beats settle down and what's left are echoing backing-vocals surrounding the lead vocals, fading guitar riffs and what sounds like a soft violin accompaniment, until the song eventually picks up in its discussion.

Overall, I really thought "Dancing Devil" is a great track off an experimental and interesting album, Golden Calf that promotes some veritable themes and an eclectic range of sounds, perfect for a cloudy day.

Here are some additional links to find and look through some cool Small Leaks Sinks Ships stuff:
https://smallleaks.bandcamp.com
http://www.smallleaks.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE_zQf0gPdvb3THS2vMWfZg
https://www.instagram.com/smallleaks/