Division Of Laura Lee

Division Of Laura Lee: Das Not ComputeDas Not Compute (2004)
Burning Heart

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

Contributed by: maverickScott
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on May 11th 2004Division Of Laura Lee has always been the ugly stepsister to Epitaph's garage-rock Cinderellas, The Hives and The (International) Noise Conspiracy. DOLL doesn't have the attitude and swagger of the Hives, nor the pedigree and intensity of T(I)NC. Both bands have moved up to the big leagues, wherea.

Division Of Laura Lee has always been the ugly stepsister to Epitaph's garage-rock Cinderellas, The Hives and The (International) Noise Conspiracy. DOLL doesn't have the attitude and swagger of the Hives, nor the pedigree and intensity of T(I)NC. Both bands have moved up to the big leagues, whereas DOLL still is trying to make an impact on US soil. With Das Not Compute, hopefully they can make a little progress.

Now the preceeding paragraph is kind of misleading - Division Of Laura Lee, while sharing many of the same influences as their counterparts listed above, is not necessarily a garage rock band per se. The songs on this disc are musically deeper than "Hate To Say I Told You So" or "Up For Sale" - this Swedish quartet makes interesting use of fuzzy bass, reverberant, dirty guitar, eerie keyboard and soulful organ on some of the album's better tracks like "Endless Factories" and "Breathe Breathe" as well as the hidden track after closer "There's A Last Time For Everything." When all of these elements fuse together, you get some surprisingly dancable tunes like "We Are Numbers" as well. It's a pleasant surprise.

Division Of Laura Lee has grown into themselves since 2002's Black City, scrapping some of the failed ambitiousness on that disc for a more solid sophomore effort in Das Not Compute. There's some solid songwriting going on here that makes repeated listens enjoyable. DOLL's fresh perspective on the already flogged-to-death genre of garage rock is worth a listen, if just to get a little Radiohead with your Hives.

MP3s
Does Compute
To The Other Side

Stream four songs here

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (September 7, 2005)

Because DOLL share a label with other more famous bands, play fuzzed rockn'roll music and are from Sweden they will never win the hearts and minds of retarded reviewers who make these connections as if DOLL was just another garage rock clone band. This album was amoung my top 5 for 2004. This is some of the moodiest, smoothest and innovative rockn'roll to come out in over a decade and North American reviewers just gloss over it time and time again with the stupidest comparisons. It's like you all keep plagerizing each other and don't actually listen to the record.

Anonymous (June 29, 2004)

I think this album is very good. I don't see why the reviewer has to compare them to other Burning Heart bands - how about just an obkective review on the disc? Ah well.

Personally, I think it is great.

xWileyx (May 17, 2004)

I think i liked 97-99 than all of they're stuff on Epitaph its not as over produced and has alot more energy..but this is OK.

Anonymous (May 15, 2004)

metal???

Anonymous (May 14, 2004)

metal sucks

Anonymous (May 13, 2004)

"where did you download the refused show from??"

From soulseek. You can get it from me: LeMAD. (enter me in your list of friends then browse my files)

FrankieGrimes (May 12, 2004)

Annoying and goes nowhere. Even worse than their last record.

sizzla (May 12, 2004)

Man, if you guys are right about how ugly the lead singer man is i think i will pass on checking this album out. Its all about the looks.

- Seez-luh

Anonymous (May 12, 2004)

where did you download the refused show from??

ElVaquero (May 12, 2004)

I think scott would agree with you.

I have their first album. It's a good one.

Anonymous (May 11, 2004)

The reviewr is a fucking idiot. I love the Hives but they have about an eigth of the originality of DOLL. The (I)NC is sometimes a great band but their live show is just really phony feeling. I just saw them recently in CHicago at the bottom loung and they rolled in with their huge tour bus, and signs/banners on the stage. Matching leather jackets with red gay pirate looking shirts underneath. THERE WERE MAYBE 300 PEOPLE THERE, TOPS. DOLL is way more consistent than either band, too bad the singer looks like a fucking ape.

Anonymous (May 11, 2004)

Speaking of T(I)NC, i've just downloaded a video of a Refused show in a small irish bar, and it has to be the most fantastic show i've ever seen...

Anonymous (May 11, 2004)

Their singer is the fugliest mofo ive ever seen, music is okay though, nothing special.