In doing research on The Dead Bodies’ new album Cock Cock Cock Cock Xanadu Xanadu, I discovered that there appears to be more attention give to the album’s title than the music. The best explanation of the title is that it is a take off on the roman numeral CCCXX but that only makes me ask what is the significance of the number 420. It could also be a reference to the avian influences in John Hilton’s Lost Horizon. (You thought I was going to say something else, didn’t you?)

Now … about the music … I must admit I expected something totally different from a band called The Dead Bodies. The Detroit based artists have a sound that blend quirky beats with a gentle hearted lyricism. There is a slightly warped wit involved here, not that so much in the vocals but in how they mix all the elements of this music together. Spin.com’s description of “equal parts David Lynch and The Shins” seems fairly accurate. All of this comes through in a very accessible bittersweet way that is immensely likable yet still complex listening. I especially love “Deep Beauty Deep”, “Paddywagon (For Adults Only)”, and “Counting Sheep”, each following the other in a triple crown of superb songwriting. If this 18 minute EP is typical then The Dead Bodies may have a bright future ahead that will hopefully include someone who can advise them on better album titles.

The album is available in album zip either as VBR MP3 (about 252kbps) or FLAC format. If you enjoy the music, support the artists by giving a donation.

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