With the current retro-focus aimed so solidly on the Reagan era, it seems like no new band can release an album that isn't immediately equated with new wave forbears-- unless, of course, they're a garage rock band. I'm as guilty of this as the next person, but pigeonholing Washington. DC's Dame Fate in a musical niche roughly halfway between The Pretenders and Siouxsie and the Banshees, not only does the listener a disservice, but the band as well.
Time and Tide Wait for No Man isn't bad as far as debut albums go. Solid and cohesive, it lacks the sort of self-indulgence and well-intentioned (if poorly executed) attempts at conveying morbid insanity I've come to associate with melancholy indie rock records. And despite its candy-colored album cover, Dame Fate strive to be thoughtful, mature soundtrack artists for listeners suffering from post-breakup stress or looking for something soothing yet hip to put on the stereo when the party's over. That this particular sound is partially the creation of guitarist Melissa Farris (formerly of Tuscadero), whose previous contributions to the musical landscape sounded anything but tempered and mature, is something of an oddity. But everyone has to grow up, right? And Farris's clever guitar work is the greatest single pleasure afforded this album.
The first track, "Crisp Winter", is promising. The spare, chiming guitars of the opening bars continually fade in and out over a fuzzy four-chord verse. The song is about two minutes too long, but a sympathetic listener could likely forgive the time lapse if its other elements didn't conspire to be catatonia-inducing. And that may be the point, as most of the songs on Time and Tide follow the same basic format as the first to the point of numbing redundancy. After about 3.5 songs, it becomes remarkably easy to predict, down to the millisecond, the moment at which the jarring crunch will strike.
The best moments on Time and Tide are hidden away within individual tracks. "River Letters" shifts into subtle pop about halfway through the song; and the bombastic, clanging guitar on "Stealing Hearts" temporarily transforms Dame Fate into a swaggering rock band. Expanding on these elements, or adding more of them, would drastically improve Dame Fate's replay value.
From most reports I've heard, Dame Fate's atmospheric tendencies come off hitchless when they play live, so I'm willing to chalk some of this up to production. But I doubt even the greatest studio engineers could patch up the rhythm section. Farris's guitar work is so much more adept than that of her bandmates that it genuinely frustrates. The fabric is stretched pretty thin; you almost feel Farris pulling back as the other members struggle to keep up. I could be somewhat sympathetic to this if Time and Tide Wait for No Man showed promise of a more consistent sort. As it is, I'm mostly bored and underwhelmed.
