Those Dancing Days - Daydreams & Nightmares

All-female bands are gaining something of a popularity in recent years, what with the rise to fame of the likes of Warpaint, CocoRosie and The Pipettes. But the world of indie pop has long been a male-dominated affair - at least, where the instrumentation is concerned anyway. But enough gender politics; their debut in 2008 was a pretty limited success for the Swedish group, yet a 2 million-strong listening on last.fm gives an indication to a slight cult status amongst the girls.

Daydreams & Nightmares is from the get-go an innocently poppy assault; harsh synths and tribal drums supporting vocalist Linnea Jönsson's husky proclamations on 'Reaching Forward' that drift slightly astray in the middle for a bit of self-reverential tension that doesn't really work with the lyrics ("there is so much more to life than this" indeed). A nice hook saves the track though, and another presents itself in 'I'll Be Yours', a noticable Joy Division influence with its dominant bassline and brazen chorus that all pull together into one fine piece.


Snare drums and background synths immediately place Those Dancing Days in moody, contemplative mode in 'Dream About Me', a desperate plea for affection and a scattering of pop clichés (fairytales, fate and loneliness all get a look in) that are thankfully held together by a dreamlike tune ready for playlist duties. The stomping drum to 'Help Me Close My Eyes' deserves attention; a fine pop song that relies a little too heavily on the chorus (but when the chorus is as good as this, it's forgiven). A Cure-like synth to 'Can't Find Entrance' is a bit of a nice surprise, probably my favourite track with its bountiful supply of hooks and singalong vocals.

Dizzy beeps and an unrelenting performance from drummer Cissi Efraimsson grabs you by the horns in 'Fuckarias' which would at first seem to be a sneering contempt for melodies had you not just heard so many decent ones prior. It revives a bit of a spark in the band that thankfully prevents the record from being a collection of pop tunes, and packs a punch. There's a rockabilly vibe to 'Forest of Love' that at first sounds a little bit KT Tunstall but is thankfully spared the kitsch, but there's a slightly disjointed rhythm about the track, stop-starting almost at random. The guitar on 'When We Fade Away' is then a little bit shrill, not at all blending with the rest of the composition, which by itself isn't really all that either.

My initial reaction to 'Keep Me In Your Pocket' was "Dance, Dance" since the drumbeats are heavily similar. There's a similarity in the angst of the lyrics too, a little bit clumsy in the chorus but go onto endearingly mention chasing clouds and stars, all set to a pretty capable tune. Whilst unfamiliar with its predecessor and trying to ignore the slightly creepy overtones to 'I Know Where You Live, Part 2's title, it's hard to resist such stalkers when they sound as melodic and fine as this - a little reminiscent of Bloc Party's "Flux" with its manic drumloop. Closer 'One Day Forever' features Orlando Weeks from the Maccabees, perhaps as a last-ditch attempt to vary the acoustics a little bit, and isn't a very exciting note to end on.



There's nothing particularly deep or revolutionary about this record which I guess will alienate them from some of the virtuoso crowds, but Daydreams and Nightmares' knack for an instantly catchy indie pop tune is not to be underestimated - there's an energy and unmasked simplicity about the record that, whilst unoriginal, is just as perfectly poised for a festival highlight as MGMT, Gossip or Klaxons - a pretty nice area for the five girls to find themselves in. Though I do feel sorry for the member who got nothing on their face for the artwork sleeve.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: Can't Find Entrance, Fuckarias, Help Me Close My Eyes, I Know Where You Live Part 2
Avoid: When We Fade Away, Forest of Love, One Day Forever