All too often with the music I have come to adore (because I have the musical integrity of a high school brat) there is the unfortunate occurrence that I may introduce a band that has met an untimely demise before you get your waxy, grimy little ears on them. More likely, I'll drop the ball and not accidentally stumble across a band like Barstow CA's Duck Duck Goose until it's too late to enjoy them while they're still producing music and silly antics. Now, I'm sure I'm like you. I see a daffy name like Duck Duck Goose (get it?) and completely over look a band who toured with the likes of Poison the Well until the day it's played through the speakers without me being able to see the name first. Then it becomes clear why they would brand themselves with such a moniker: it's just fun, frenetic, fast and once you get past a certain age you should feel ridiculous for still liking it, but you kind of don't care.
It's apparent that these kids have mastered describing themselves as simply as possible when they name their first EP Noise, Noise, and More Noise. I refuse to be that guy who promotes a band for something as inane as breakdowns in this genre because that's not a "guy." That's a kid. I think it's over done and, quite frankly, a cheap ploy to lure in simpletons. Consider me baited. With tons of overdrive effects, Duck Duck Goose race through their dissonant crashes that bring to mind March on Electric Children-era The Blood Brothers with Last Night in Town-era Every Time I Die (you know, before ETID got raped by Lynyrd Skynyrd and started producing southern fried hardcore), but more fun.
There's rarely a sign of any formulaic song structure, which, of course, is pretty common for chaotic metal/hardcore. Few discernible verses, no choruses, and lots of off time starts and stops mixed with goofy riffs. When DDG throw their hair back and assume the crab position to go for the half-time head nods that often plague this genre? Yeah, they don't reach for the chug-squeee pit fall. Nope, their breakdowns sound less like Opposite of December and more reminiscent of Me and Him Call It Us. You know, like they're raising every appliance in the kitchen above their heads and slamming it on to a concrete floor? The recording certainly captures this onslaught well. As soon as the shrapnel starts to spray, vocalist Davey Ribera screeches (not unlike an aforementioned Buckley/Whitney combo) "PANIC FUELS THE CROWD" and you can tell he really hopes so. Of course, the staying power of a borderline joke band performing in a genre that's already kind of a borderline joke is very hindered, but Duck Duck Goose made it enjoyable.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duck-Duck-Goose/133599036659691
Where they started: 2008's Noise, Noise, and More Noise EP
Where you should start: Sporting just an EP and one full length, might as well check out both. Noise... is the more breakdown heavy of the 2 and has the better production value as well as being the chunkier release. However, Off Yourself does show the band maturing a little (as mature as a band like this can be, anyway) and throws in some clean vocals which certainly adds another layer to the chaos.
Essential Song:
Essential Live Video:
Some other stuff:
