Deathray Davies - Return of the Drunk Ventriloquist - Idol Records

Review by: Jennifer Perkins

The first time I ever heard The Deathray Davies it was in a live setting. I had gone to see Waxwing and Tahiti 80, and all I knew of the opening band is that they were from Dallas, and that already counted against them. Then I walked in, and The Deathray Davies were already started and I was overwhelmed. The first thing I thought was there are more of them than there is space on the stage and they have kidnapped Hyde from That 70’s Show to play tambourine. There was a crowd gathered watching this band of boys who looked like they had been teleported from the 60’s right to the stage. They were exuding some sort of intoxicating energy and I stopped right there in my tracks and got drunk on it with the rest of the crowd.

The rest of the set turned out to be one or two more songs unfortunately, and I have lamented my tardiness to that show ever since. Needless to say, when the Deathray Davies CD Return of the Drunk Ventriloquist showed up in my PO box for review, I was elated. Then to my delight as I started to listen, they were just as good on CD as they were live, somehow managing to capture the same kinetic energy and attitude that made them really standout onto the recording. From the moment the first track starts with it's hollow guitar, hand claps and echoed vocals to the last note of the very retro “Chinese Checkers and Devo Records” I was enthralled.

Lately it seems like I have been getting a lot of items to review that seem to be the creation of one single mastermind, and The Deathray Davies are no exception. The band was originally formed by it’s sole songwriter, John Dufilho. This is his band without a doubt. However, there live presence adds a lot to the experience, and that is a group effort. Sure, having a member to do nothing more than play the tambourine and a maracas seems like an excess, but the band would not work without these fun little added touches. Without the group effort and stage show, they would not have the local following that they do. Not to mention it does not hurt to have members of some of Dallas’ hottest bands helping out; Daryl, Bedwetter, and Centromatic to name a few.

Now yes there is a retro feel to this CD, for the 60’s in particular, but there are still a lot of modern day inflections on Return of the Drunk Ventriloquist. Songs like "Corrective Lenses" fit right into the Indie world of today, and stand out for that matter. The Deathray Davies remind me of The Fountains of Wayne and the Monkees all at once, encompassing the perfect popness of two separate generations and sounds. Some of my favorite tracks include “Square” and “Clever Found a Name”. With thermions, keyboards, frantic shakes of tambourines, great sing-song vocals, and jangly guitars you can't go wrong with this combination. From what I have heard of this pop band thus far they have not done much of anything wrong. Keep up the good work boys, I for one am thoroughly impressed.

Read a review of The Deathray Davies Without a Trace 7" here.

Read where the Deathray Davies got their name from here.

Go here or here to see pictures of The Deathray Davies.