Daly's Gone Wrong
Exit Where You Belong

I first heard Daly’s Gone Wrong on MySpace after they had released their first disc, The Fourth Wave and their single “Dear Ava.” I was really impressed by how tight they were, but their mixture of every style imaginable really confused me. I didn’t know if I liked them, but for some reason, I kept going back and listening to it. After hearing “Die Die Die and Then Some” off of their new release Exit Where You Belong, I had to hear the entire disc to get a true look at this novel band. I can’t really describe Daly’s Gone Wrong in a sentence or an entire introduction, as they do so many things that I’ve heard no one try before.

The first track, “Its Not Nice To Set Your Band Members on Fire,” fades in with a kind of distorted static, blending into chaotic and dissonant hardcore with powerful vocals over the top. After about a minute, the track takes its first unexpected turn when the drummer, John, sets a completely different tempo, leading the song into a catchy and poppy punk section. Up through this section, Daly’s Gone Wrong sounds like an extremely talented screamo band. But brace yourself, because here comes some ska. The vast vocal capabilities that DGW’s lead singer, Joe, shows are incredible and wholly unexpected. He screams high and low, sings, and even puts in a little reggae-ska flavor for good measure. He often doubles his own vocals with the same note, which rubs sometimes, but usually it makes the vocals more dynamic and energetic – especially when he screams underneath singing. Daly’s Gone Wrong doesn’t write songs but five-minute epics consisting of more sections, parts, lyrics, and styles to count. I’m glad they return to the punk melody that they had carried off so well earlier in the song, but they mix it up with a little hardcore, and blend into a slow dub part that really makes the song for me. But, for DGW, nothing’s cut and dry, so to blend from this laid-back feel, the song stops and Joe screams “1, 2, 3, 4” and the song blends into a latin groove with “HEY!”s and some awesome guitar melodies. The song finishes off with a screamo buildup and a final punch. This unorthodox mixture of styles is not uncommon for DGW. The next song, “Where Was Hope When She Needed It” is one of my favorites on the disc. It starts with some pretty awesome ska, but some of the lyrics are screamed for an effect that catches the listener almost completely off guard. DGW really shows off their expertise in ska / dub / reggae in this song, combining some awesome drumming, well-written guitar and bass tracks, and an unmistakably awesome groove. The vocals that Joe throws into the slow ska sections are incredible and unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. They get a little trebly and high-pitched at times, but Joe has so many styles that it doesn’t get so repetitive that it gets annoying.

The third track, “Die Die Die and Then Some” seems to be the single off the disc, and it’s another favorite of mine. Along with the hardcore and ska attributes that they’ve already exemplified, they throw in some fast-paced and catchy punk that sets up the third-wave ska sections really well. When the band reaches a hardcore breakdown, its unexpected and subtle, I just wish I could pick out more of their screamed lyrics. There’s another slower-paced ska section that blends into more well executed punk, rock, and hardcore to bring this track to an definitive end. “And the Heartless Will Mean Nothing” is next up and is a lot more hardcore than the previous tracks. In this style, I think the snare drum could have been a lot cleaner, not in the way John plays it, but the way its tuned. It sounds like it should be a machine gun, but doesn’t quite reach this goal. As I’ve come to expect from DGW, they find a way to get back into ska, even in a hardcore tune. The song makes its way back to hardcore with some cool guitar features underneath, and ends with some variations in tempo, which are really tight and impressive. I have to give Daly’s Gone Wrong some props for putting my favorite song of theirs on their second release, but redone acoustic. “Dear Ava (I’m Bleeding For You)” takes the original and breaks it down into simple and eloquent components with acoustic guitar, percussives, and even some background screams that accent the vocals really well. When I heard this song, I was like a kid on Christmas – it’s awesome. The finale track, “Dreading December,” starts with some pop punk that reminds me a lot of The Starting Line, but after only 20 seconds, DGW comes in full force with fast-paced and driven punk / hardcore. Even though I should expect it, the next section surprises me again – more tight ska. The bass tone sticks out a little bit in this section, but the tone works really well with the other sections of the song. As the song gets back into hardcore, Joe seems to scream for the last 2 minutes of the song, which I’m not into stylistically, but his endurance is incredible. The disc ends with some awesome clean guitar harmonies and quiet vocals as DGW bows out after giving their all.

Overall, this disc was amazingly original and innovative. Daly’s Gone Wrong took Exit Where You Belong and made it into an epic masterpiece, blending almost every local scene’s music into a single recording. Sometimes I don’t love the abrasiveness of the hardcore, but I know that someone will find this disc and say, “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” or, “I’ve been waiting for someone to do this.” It’s tight, clean, and intense – hate it or love it, Daly’s Gone Wrong is a dedicated presence to be reckoned with.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  9.0

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