De Novo Dahl "Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound"- -Album Review

Who says country stars have a monopoly on Nudie Cohn? Recognizing that sparkling sequins, intricate embroidery, and bright colors aren’t just for the honky tonks anymore, members of De Novo Dahl don brilliant costumes for their own take on the Nashville sound, and country it ain’t. In the vein of Polyphonic Spree crossed with The Rapture, De Novo Dahl makes multivocal dance music guaranteed to mobilize even the most disaffected hipster. Named for Roald Dahl's charming paeans to childlike innocence and the Latin for "the new," De Novo Dahl doesn't make much new on the record—but the band does have a lot of fun.

De Novo Dahl's namesake, Roald Dahl, is not only a master of promoting childlike wonder in tales about telekinesis, candy wonderlands, and giant fruit, but also a deft chronicler of adult vanities. De Novo Dahl’s joining of childlike awe and astute adult observations does about as much justice to the Dahl name as any music could. The band’s 2005 release, Cats & Kittens, was a two-disc set, the second disc remixing songs from the first. At shows in support of Cats & Kittens, De Novo Dahl had Humane Society booths so concertgoers could adopt animals in need of homes; at other gigs, the band has dressed up in cowboy attire while serving Italian food (spaghetti Western—get it?! ha!). This is definitely a rock band with a super sense of humor.

Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound might seem like the title of a straight-up dance record at first, encouraging listeners to shake their hips and squeal with excitement, and the album certainly does that throughout. But the disc also slows down for a few ballads, which may make you sway but will also make you think, featuring some introspective lyrics about interpersonal relationships. Funky seventies grooves and boy/girl alternating vocals mix with laidback electronoise and cushy melodies suitable either for going out on Saturday night or chilling out on Sunday afternoon.

Perhaps the biggest problem with Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound is that it lives up to its title a bit too much. Tons of diverse sounds, from guitars to horns to vocal layers, show up in almost every song. Using the same instruments and overall vibes over and over makes too many tracks feel similar. As De Novo Dahl's last album suggested, this band loves to take a theme and run with it, "reinventing" the same sounds with only minor tweaks. Nevertheless, the record as a whole remains a fun listen that's worth checking out.