Dyclops Din - There Are Five Lights

Dyclops Din

There Are Five Lights
self-released; 2016

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

Andy Vandall (drums) and Greg Rubdallah (guitars) are a duo called Dyclops Din from Massachusetts who first met in 2006 and ten years later just released their debut There Are Five Lights. There Are Five Lights is an eclectic, disparate mix of songs but most of them boil down to rock.

​Up first is a lighter affair “Wicked Love” which keeps the rocking out to a minimum and focuses on catchy vocal melodies. The music is simply relying on basic chord progressions and a straight-forward beat. There are some very brief ornamental aspects such as what sounds like a second guitar but for the most part this is a no frills pop song. 

“Never Lonely” is another song that focuses more on the pop aspects than rocking out. It's catchy and again very modest when it comes instrumental work. “The Look” contains up strummed chords and sounds more aligned with ska and even reggae during the verse. It’s a fun song that you can imagine playing at a backyard summer BBQ.

The band starts to rock out harder on “Dust Bowl” which has spoken word revolving around the military. It is quite a distinct juxtaposition from the previous song that feels a bit odd when taking into the flow of the album. That being said there is a sick guitar solo.

The band refuses to stick to any type of cohesive sound as the album progresses. “Ghosts” touts an aggressive ’70s punk vibe while “Elephant” has a slight, bluesy feel similar to The White Stripes.

“Woman Can't Run Away” has some slide guitar and a unique singing style which is one of the highlights.  

When a band takes a long time to make an album it’s quite typical that the songs can sound scattered and that seems to be the case here. I can’t say I left this album having a feel of what “their” sound was. On the other hand most of the songs can stand on their own. Recommended.

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