Dartz! - This Is My Ship

Think exclamation marks and vaguely menacing song titles point to another post-punk outfit? Give that man a biscuit. All angular guitars, staccato drums and shouty duelling Futureheads-stylee vocals, Dartz! may well make you want to dance and be mildly angry at the same time. Unfortunately, the anger overpowers at times, especially when witnessing the grating comedy vocals on Prego Triangolos and blatant Bloc Party graverobbing on A Simple Hypothetical. Like a toddler evading its Ritalin, This Is My Ship is endlessly energetic and prone to random outbursts. It may be slightly disjointed, but it has flashes of real danceability and no fear of hardcore basslines. A skewed lyrical bent sets them apart from their contemporaries. The closing track is a tale of late night navigation where "lampposts are icebergs to be hit" and album highlight 'Teaching Me To Dance' vehemently asserts that "Dartz! Is good! For your brain!" Take heed. [Julie Paterson]