Deadjim - 7 track recording

1. Never Enough
2. Bad Man part 2
3. Everbody
4. Rhythm Magazine review
5. Black Hole
6. David del Curto
7.The Death of Sandy Malone

Deadjim have proven a nightmare to track down and see live in the past two or three months but have finally come up with a demo of seven tracks featuring new recordings from the end of last year.

Opening with most recent track Never Enough the CD provides an insight into the world self-proclaimed 'dub reggae'- punk artists, a unique tag, but one that cannot hide the bands' heavy swing towards ska music.

Lyrical clarity

The warm, comfortable acoustic intro of Never Enough is followed by a bouncy wall of percussion and saxophones, eclipsing any expectations of a singer-songwriter approach. The song is catchy yet uncomfortable, with echoing vocals that emphasise the mysterious quality of the songs, but lose any lyrical clarity as much of the singing is lost behind the music.

Bad Man part 2 is apparently has nothing to do with a certain Coral song of a similar name, but, all the same, brings about comparisons with the above and The Specials. It's Dick Tracy meets Bugsy Malone for a day at The Big Top as a funky drumbeat backs up a cheesy yet adorable saxophone loop.

Jazzy horns

Third track Everybody, sounds uncannily like George Michaels' Faith, but underlines Deadjim's ability to create commercially oriented pop-music, maybe gearing up for the writing of the all important 'hit-single' albeit complete with a jazzy horns intermission.

The band must be applauded for getting the sound they have on such early recordings, although David del Curto is guilty of over using the brain-squeezing theramin, making the song sound too much like a poor reception on the radio.

Wah-wah guitars

'Sandy Malone' speaks for itself, and was previously included on last years' Big Faces compilation, and Black Hole resonates more and more towards the ska-punk genre, but Deadjim appear to have enough depth and creativity to remain interesting. If they keep concentrating on the wah-wah guitars, wind sections and outrageous drumbeats, they could fulfil the potential to set themselves apart from their influences.

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy