Dead To Me

***Three years after their widely acclaimed debut release, Cuban Ballerina, DEAD TO ME are back with the long promised follow up full-length, African Elephants. The extra time spent crafting and honing the album, while agonizing for fans, proved to be well worth it. From the very first track, the dub inspired “X”, the maturation of Dead To Me’s sound it overtly apparent. What follows is a course of songs that both disarm and captivate the listener while seamlessly switching tempos and genres. African Elephants completely dismantles all preconceived notions that listeners may have formed about DTM. Each song is intriguing in its own right, from the driving punk classics “Modern Muse” and “Nothin Runnin Through My Brain”, to the Clash-esque anthem “A Day Without a War” and the contemplative “Cruel World”. The dual lead vocals intermingle with each other perfectly from track to track, providing a varied yet cohesive vehicle for the album. It is truly rare and exciting to listen to a collection of songs and know they will be reflected on as something completely unique and treasured. Simply put, African Elephants obliterates expectations and is one of those infrequent albums that will distinguish DEAD TO ME for the rest of their promising career. (STREET DATE - 11/10/2009)