The Deaths come home
By the sound of their name one might expect morbid lyrics, thrashing guitars and gruesome howls.
Anyone who judges the Deaths by their name is in for a surprise.
The group played two shows at the Aquarium in downtown Fargo Saturday, one as the main attraction and another alongside fellow Minneapolis band Duplomacy.
Although they claim an endless number of influences covering 40 years of popular music, the Deaths sound like they came straight from the ’60s in some kind of psychedelic time machine.
Many of their songs imitate the sounds of the British Invasion, right down to the haunting electronic organ, Beatle type harmonies and shiny black Rickenbacker.
The dark, sleepy melodies and ghostly lyrics fit in perfect with the dull, smoky atmosphere of the Aquarium, which is located above Dempsey’s bar on Broadway.
Tunes like “The Blue Rider” and “A Sea is a Sea” sound as if they came directly off a Pink Floyd album.
Perhaps the catchiest song was “Birmingham,” an infectious pop song reminiscent of the Byrds.
All of the songs performed were off Choir Invisible, the Deaths’ first full-length album that was released nationwide in July.
The band is currently working on their second record.
The trip to North Dakota was a homecoming for the group members, who are originally from Fargo.
They moved to Minneapolis in 2002 and quickly mixed into the local music scene, where they performed at bars and nightclubs.
Anyone who has a chance to see the Deaths in concert is in for a great show.