Fixing the dancing deficit

The problem with indie rock music these days: no one dances.

Well, that’s the problem according Brian Morris, Jacob Carey, David Benedetti, and Tim West, the childhood friends who grew up to become the band Caves.

It is evident that these guys are trying to fix this conundrum on their first album Get On With It. The process for creating the self-recorded, self-produced, self-funded, and self-released CD began in 2007, when Caves holed themselves up for several weeks, trying to piece things together.

Influenced by reggae and hip-hop, the band’s music is full of eighth and sixteenth notes while Carey and Benedetti play their guitars with a definite purpose. The rhythms simply beg to be danced to, both in and out of the venues. The entire album was tracked live to tape, capturing the feeling of an [almost] live performance.

Many of the tracks, such as “Get On With It” and “Metaphysical” are strongly reminiscent of 80s dance music (after the intro to the latter, I half expected them to start with a big round of “let’s get [meta]physical”).

However, the prevailing sound that runs through the album is much more modern and with a hint of techno scattered throughout. Don’t expect the tracks from Get On With It to start playing at any raves anytime soon, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this album is radiates with an energy that makes it more conducive to dancing at a show rather than singing in your car.

The tracks are by no means monotonous though. The 11 songs encompass a variety of lyrical and musical styles, making them an enjoyable listen, even the first time around when you have no idea what’s going on.

Although Get On With It may not make its way onto my iPod Top 40 playlist, it warrants a listen every now and again, when the mood strikes. And I’ll definitely be on the lookout for album number two.