Returning from hiatus, Denmark’s 18th Dye deliver some fine and interesting alt-garage sounds on Amorine Queen. After breaking out of their native country in the nineties (thanks to support from Yo La Tengo – QRO live review – and BBC’s John Peel), Heike Rädeker, Piet Breinholm, and Sebastian Büttrich went their separate ways, playing with various German and Danish bands. In 2005 18th Dye reunited at the VibraCrunch07 Festival, but it wasn’t until last year that they really hit the European festival circuit, culminating in Scandinavia’s massive Roskilde. And now they’re out with the new Amorine Queen, a strong piece of alt-garage/road that puts to shame some of their younger kin.
Unlike some other garage/road acts, which play it relatively one-note, 18th Dye mix things up well in their return record. That’s most notable perhaps with their male/female dueting vocals on such pieces as the brightly distorted (and Vaselines-esque) “Go ‘n’ Go” or the driving but upbeat “Is”, and its fuzzed group vocals. Yet other well-done mash-ups include the quiet road mixed with louder garage on opener “Island vs. Island”, or the atmospheric swing and carry to well-placed finisher “Air”.
There are some times when the combos go too far: the reverb and stop/start distract from the strong ‘started’ portions of “Chinese Spoon”, the sway is more interesting than the march on the slightly choral “Amorines”, and the thud added to the bass on “Song For Helen” takes away from that piece’s grace. And there are also times on Amorine Queen where 18th Dye play it straight, and are all the better for it, like with the not overdone garage/road “Soft the Hard Way” or catchy bass-drive “Text Is My Killer”. And the record’s clear stand out is the dark, but completely catchy and sly “Backdoor”, whose great indie-girl group vocals are oh so slickly charming.
Alt-garage has been making a comeback, whether in Scandinavia (like with The Hives) or in Brooklyn (with the trio of Crystal Stilts – QRO album review – caUSE co-MOTION – QRO album review – and Vivian Girls – QRO album review), so this was just the right time for 18th Dye to return. And they’ve come back with more melody (and English language lyrics) than their last studio record, Tribute to a Bus, as well as with more of an upbeat attitude (they might be the only ones that are more upbeat today than they were in 1995…). Like some reunions – but unlike some others – 18th Dye was wise to come back, and Amorine Queen is the right record to return with.
