Dominant Legs, Invitation

When you hear the first three songs or so off Dominant Legs’ Invitation, you get the feeling that there exists this one guitar riff that this band really likes. It’s like that Weezer song about being on an island, or just the way that all ska seems to have that same riff over and over again. The songs are somewhat distinguishable, but they do seem to share that one trait going on in the background the whole time.

Overall, these songs start sounding like a band from the 1960s or 1970s, perhaps one that my mother might have told me she used to roller skate to back in the day. They have that sort of Police vibe, without really sounding like The Police; just that sort of idea.

“Darling Girls” is a song that begins to sound a lot to me like “Hungry Eyes,” and by the time you hit “Lady is Sleek and So Petite,” you get that 1980s vibe you’d really expect with the synthesizers.

With hints of Modest Mouse and bands from a different time such as Men Without Hats, Dominant Legs seems to be an exceptional band that’s just stuck in the wrong time. Had this album come out before 1992, I think it would have been much more accepted, though I don’t doubt its musical success in this day and age, either.

People seem to like music that gives them that nostalgic feel, and I think that’s what this album does. It’s something about how these songs remind you of other songs that makes them seem familiar and thus comfortable. When you put this on, it will sound like something you’ve already heard many years ago.

While I like the overall vibe of the music, I’d be hesitant to see Dominant Legs live unless I could roller skate while they play. My inability to do so can be a misfortune that I merely blame on the times.