Allowing copying comes in many guises. Bands are digging
into the treasure trove of musical history all the time – when they are so
inspired by a single source we can be kind and say they are paying homage to
them. Only when we dislike the end result do terms like ‘copycat’ come out.
Here Are The Roses from Dragons is a difficult case
because, I’m getting to like it. 85% of it, at least, would not, could not have
existed had Joy Division not come into being. There is a little late Jesus
& Mary Chain (well someone’s been listening to Bobby Gillespie’s take on Mo
Tucker’s drumming, anyway), a soupcon of Depeche Mode and even a hint of Heaven
17 when they dive too deep into the stark electronic sounds.
Their bundle of influences is very similar to those of
Editors, to whom they will no doubt be compared, particularly when it comes to
the many sections of repeated guitar notes on songs like the bitter yet
tentatively hopeful Lonely Tonight. But Dragons are very open in their
adoration, doesn’t that count for something? From the initial jangly guitars
and droning, depressed-sounding end of title track Here Are The Roses when that
phrase is repeated over and over, through singer Anthony Tombling Jnr’s harsh vocal
mannerisms to the majority of the song titles – Condition, Treasure, Obedience,
Forever. I would bet a considerable sum that several Joy Division fans could be
persuaded one of these was a Joy Division out-take, especially the monumental
and fleetingly hopeful Forever, which uses layers of sound to build to a climax
that is almost exuberant. As I listen I cannot help but think “well, if you’re
going to take chunks of 80s electronica as your source, they’ve certainly taken
the right chunks… and surely I would be glad if there was another Joy Division
album in the world so…
This is a good album but not an original one. It’s well-structured
from bitter to contemplative to mildly hopeful. It flows, there’s enough change
of pace to keep you interested if you already like the mix of electronic
effects and guitar, and contains several strong tunes (Trust, Here Are The
Roses, Forever). The lyrics are rather earnest and suitably miserable to appeal
to the inhabitants of Bedsitland. Tombling and partner David Francolini (former
drummer with Levitation and Dark Star) have clearly constructed their songs
carefully and are masters at what they do; their work has a hovering darkness,
a brooding edge to it, but then so did Joy Division’s.