The Daily Pravda

(November 2001)

In the music and lyrics of 80s glam rock gods and today's coiffed, vinyl-clad revivalists who worship them, there's an obvious penchant for a sleazy, swaggering sort of kitsch. This is, after all, a gloriously androgynous subculture where sometimes, musically, style trumps substance, much the same way certain young men spend a ton of money on hair products to look like they don't spend any money on hair products (you know who you are, Bedhead boy).

That being the case, then The Daily Pravda should be filed under something other than "Brit pop revivalists." There's no shortage of substance anywhere on these five perfect tracks. While She's So Mature mines a familiar gorgeous, stirring Brit pop gold, calling The Daily Pravda simply '80s retro is like calling Watership Down a book about rabbits. The Daily Pravda has the musical prowess to back up what they're doing, the singing is flawless, and every song pops with gorgeous chimey guitars (loving the tones on these guitars) and supremely graceful drums (loving the drumming finesse). The not-so-secret weapon is the compelling front man, Dave Jackal, whose confessional singing style has been compared to Bowie and Jarvis Cocker. When the vocals are this poignant, you want them right out in front in the mix, and they are – not a single nuance is missed. That's smart, because lyrically this EP contains enough brawn to be the beginnings of a rock opera. "Home Invasion" particularly whetted my appetite to listen to my Hedwig. If performed at the end of an act two, the crowd would be on its feet. Also awesome are "Viva Natalia" and the title track.

The irresistible appeal of these songs seems to be the way The Daily Pravda deftly crafts spiraling towers of chorus, verse, chorus, building melody upon melody and fleshing out the heartwarming chords with layers of keys, synths and more guitars. The dynamics are key. These songs aren’t content to merely amble. They’re on the run, constantly propelling on the beautiful lyrical lines, the melodic hooks and the dreamy, theatrical singing. By the time each song is halfway through they’ve got you — hooks, lines and singer. (Oh come on, it had to be done).

She's So Mature is so good in every possible way that The Daily Pravda has motivated a pressing request to the Low Budget Superhero webmaster for a new section of the site — based on one listen to this five-song teaser, we want to highlight a Favorite CD of the Month.

Speaking as one who once played Divine Comedy's "Short Album About Love" twenty-eight times in one night, I'd just like to personally thank Dave Jackal and the rest of The Daily Pravda for making this record. (Lexi Kahn)