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Slingshot Dakota

Spring 2009 Demo (2009)
self-released

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Contributed by: Justin
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on June 26th 2009

At first glance it's easy to make the one-off assumption that Slingshot Dakota are some sort of Mates of State tribute act -- the male/female couple, the keyboard lead, the often cute-sounding songs all add to this. But if you dig slightly below the surface you find a band that is fully their own, even on a three-song demo CD -- with obvious influences that span the gamut of independent music.

The first track, "White Couch" dispels the fear that somehow the band will embrace that "cutesy" moniker they've unfairly gained. It has a straight-up punk drumbeat, something to be heard on one of the Bouncing Souls' burners, pushing forward a song about "sitting on a white couch" recovering from a life-changing injury. It's a quick affair, just 97 seconds long and features great vocal stylings from singer Carly. Track 2, "Michael Jordan Saved My Life" is about Jordan from Yo Man Go and features drummer Tom on vocals for a change. While his voice isn't instantly as melodic and polished as Carly's, the words are no less sincere. The song turns into a duet in the middle, with the chorus of "...and I, I feel like I'm alive" repeated a few times. It's a fantastic track, destined to become a staple in their live arsenal. In fact, the track explodes live with Tom's insane drumming and hardcore-influenced shouted vocals.

The last track needs no explanation -- it's a cover of "Waiting Room" by Fugazi. They've played this track live for some time now and on this demo it sounds great. It's not quite as fun as it live -- there's less shouting and crowd participation (obviously) -- but what is? It's easy to write off a band covering Fugazi as a gimmick but it totally works for this two-piece. Especially when looking at how both bands conduct themselves -- fiercely DIY.

This is a great teaser for those who are eagerly awaiting a followup to Their Dreams Are Dead, But Ours Are... The Golden Ghost!, one of my favorite records of last year. The tracks are solid and when played live they are even fiercer than here -- Tom's drumming has to be impossible to capture on tape and Carly's manic keyboard playing adds a lot of character. I caught them at their first show at Gilman and it was awesome; it's nice to see a band who's so happy to be making music. However, this demo CD is obviously not the best introduction to the duo -- it's an unpolished demo, not a final product. For those wanting a good way to meet them, pick up The Golden Ghost online or at a show.

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Fuzzy (June 30, 2009)

When they played Gilman, they just talked about how stoked they were to be there. That's pretty much it. I'm glad they talk about other, more important things during their sets also. If they wanted to get preachy, they EASILY could've went on a rant at Gilman of all places.

xshoutoutx (June 29, 2009)

fun band. good people.

onegirlarmy (June 29, 2009)

i haven't heard this demo yet, but these two get really fucking preachy live

Talking about a need for bands to play all ages shows and encouraging people/women to stand up against sexual assault are two common things they talk about in their live set... I fail to see how either are preachy.

dlangl4 (June 28, 2009)

It's just a cat. If your idea was, "Hey, let's have a cat on the cover of our CD," you could come up with either of those covers and there wouldn't be anything wrong with that or any relation between the two decisions.

Hey_Asshole (June 27, 2009)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EAGZ4AV9L._SL500_AA240_. jpg

Unfun artwork

themagnetc (June 27, 2009)

looks more like they jacked a lo-fi jpeg of chesire cat to me

themagnetc (June 27, 2009)

i haven't heard this demo yet, but these two get really fucking preachy live

hamonrye (June 27, 2009)

blake schwarzenbach called and wants his album cover back.

truebluebrewcrew (June 27, 2009)

i like this demo, its fun. I think there is some law out there that every band that doesn't sound like fugazi needs to cover waiting room, which is the only track on here i didn't like, other than that, good demo.

Hey_Asshole (June 27, 2009)

(mid-90s cliche about Unfun calling and wanting it's artwork back)

Spalmer (June 27, 2009)

"emotionally honest"... what the fuck does that even mean, seems like vague b.s. to somehow make relevant some shitty and grating vocals to me... typical punknews b.s.

dlangl4 (June 26, 2009)

For a 3 song demo, this is great. Can't wait for more. The female singer has one of the best female voices I've heard yet. Or at least, it's one I like a lot. I don't know if I've heard enough to call it the "best."

seth_uber_alles (June 26, 2009)

man, this is total hipster bike-riding music. pure cheese.

eyepatchguy (June 26, 2009)

Awesome people, awesome demo.

ifyoumakeit (June 26, 2009)

You can also download it for free here:
http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/album/slingshot-dakota/demo-3/

GarrettIrish (June 26, 2009)

Good review. I try to get people to understand that under the cutesy-ness they write and play excellent music, and are a great example for DIY bands.

onegirlarmy (June 26, 2009)

Slingshot Dakota is more than just a cute indie pop act, and this review is spot on. Probably one of the most emotionally honest and genuine bands I've come across in a long while who also are a ton of fun to watch live... their set seriously never fails to put a smile on my face.

Awesome demo too, I can't wait for new proper recordings.