Supersweet.org - Album Review: Dandi Wind – 'Sacrificial'

Modern music has perpetually changed throughout the decades. Its association with class rebellion, iconoclastic movements and fashion has been well documented and ensued by generations of youthful proponents and its willing purveyors; the times will forever be changing, and its soundtrack will forever develop in order to relate to its market and its new frontiers. As a result of the epoch that we find ourselves in, Dandi Wind’s lustful and dramatic ‘Sacrificial’ is an intentionally pioneering move towards a new-wave of digitally enhanced musical breeding.

Hailing from the sleepy surroundings of Vancouver, Canada, Dandi Wind’s inception began in 2003 at the creative hands of sculptor Dandilion Wind Opaine (vocals) and musician Szam Findlay. Before their unity as Dandi Wind, Opaine was working on individual sculptures that represented the musical movements that affected legions of past cohorts, whereas Findlay intended to inspire future generations with a musical composition that he had been working on for the last five years: the unavailing of their work fell upon deaf ears and purblind eyes.

Their move from Vancouver to Montreal was nothing short of inspiring for the duo and an already fervent music scene enraptured by the likes of Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade and The Unicorns. Tireless touring ensued as the pair – along with the newly recruited Evan Pierce on drums – enchanted major cities across Europe (most notably 20 odd shows with the The Horrors), the US, Canada and Mexico.

‘Sacrificial’ – along with previous releases and somewhat legendary live shows – has the mark of the future. Chemically enhanced and digitally developed, the tracks themselves are hypnotic and aurally penetrating: “Searching Flesh”, “Adolescent” (both of which have been remixed and mashed by various producers and DJs with mind-bending effects and zeal) and “Drawing Straws” pulsate with the youthful angst of those who conspire towards a DIY think-tank of musical tribalism.

What is lost from the album is the extent to which the Dandi Wind are not only burgeoning beat producers, but also inimitable visual artists; live shows and videos are drenched in the semiotics akin to the likes of David Bowie, Kate Bush and Lora Logic that once engrossed the eighties. Whereas the likes of Peaches’ electro-clash antics have been produced with the intention of mass media publicity, you can’t help but feel that Dandi Wind are the digital real deal.

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