Double Dagger – More

Double Dagger is a musical trio from Baltimore – comprised of just bass, drums, and vocals – who play a thoughtful mix of minimalistic hardcore and dancy post-punk.

I relate Double Dagger to bands like Sinaloa and Q and not U because the focal point of the music that they create, at least for me, is that it promotes this idea that you should constantly be in an argument with your surroundings – questioning the validity of your beliefs and critiquing the mechanisms of society that you deem unjust.

What’s so great about Double Dagger is that while their lyrics are full of all of these social critiques the music is accessible enough to get people who may be unfamiliar with the broad ‘punk rock’ subculture to start listening and hopefully start thinking about these issues.

A quick quote from a review of their 2007 release Ragged Rubble -

“…But with new full-length Ragged Rubble released this summer, the band maintains its self-proclaimed designcore sound while becoming astute political voices against Baltimore’s overzealous waterfront gentrification…

…Beatbots editor Justin Blemly says “Singer Nolen Stral’s vocals sound more urgent and inflammatory than ever, gravitating here towards themes of modern consumer culture and the yuppification of Baltimore city. On ‘Luxury Condos for the Poor’ he decries, ‘you’ve lived here your whole life / well it’s time to get out / we’re building waterfront grave sites, 30 stories high / where dreams of fictional people live, while the city around you dies’. A serious document of what’s going on in the ‘Greatest City in America’ right now.”" – via Butter Team

Download HERE.

Purchase HERE (I assume whenever it’s posted).

Myspace HERE.

Fun Facts that were edited out:

+ Two of the members, vocalist Nolen Strals and bassist Bruce Willen,  also comprise the graphic design team Post Typography.

+ A quote from the City Paper:

“Probably half our songs are about graphic design and how it relates to how people are and societal blah blah blah,” Strals says. “[Our newest song] is about how the use of bad fonts like Comic Sans and Tekno is the equivalent of moshing.” In fact, the name “Double Dagger” comes from a typographic symbol, and one of its songs is titled “I Don’t Know Which I Hate More, You or Quark.” – via Baltimore City Paper