Post-punk agitprop bands like Gang of Four and Mission of Burma did awesome things with sharp, angular guitar lines and twitchy rhythms. Baltimore’s Double Dagger followed proudly in that tradition on last year’s LP “More” — except instead of guitar, the band uses bass.

The trio continues in that vein on a new EP, “Masks.” The group isn’t necessarily issuing political screeds about atomic warfare and whatnot — in fact, there’s a considerable amount of sarcasm — but the music is right there with speedy drum patterns and terse, lean bass lines that erupt into cavalcades of noise on free single “Pillow Talk.”

Singer Nolen Stralls and bassist Bruce Willen work by day in the design studio Post Typography, where they created limited-edition packaging for the EP, which is available now on Thrill Jockey.

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Pillow Talk mp3

March 31, 2010 at 8:00 am | Share |