Brooklyn – Jack Ladder & the Dreamlanders have an unwieldy, confusing name and are an “uncool” band. They may dress ridiculously and even make “unfashionable” music. But being dorky doesn’t disqualify them from being worth your time. Lyrics-driven music is almost always uncool; look at Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker. Jarvis was a skinny nerd who didn’t find success until he started pretending he was a Swinging London version of David Bowie, a debauched character he always inhabited with a wink. The leader of the Dreamlanders is a lyrics-guy rock star in the Jarvis Cocker mode.
Just like Cocker, he sings in a weary baritone. His phrasing is similar, too, although he drops his voice very low at the end of lines like Lou Reed, who he also closely resembles vocally. He’s not as good a singer as Jarvis, so he has to borrow Lou’s sing-speak style, but the voice is mostly just a delivery vehicle for the lyrics anyway. His best lyrics are on “Come On Back This Way,” which tells a “common people” story of a memorable night in a distant city with a lover with whom he can’t stop fighting.
“The magnesium moon, and the streets are filled with piss, and the pigs walk by on stilts, and the cabs all lock their doors,” he sings. “If tomorrow never comes, I wouldn’t care at all.” The song opens their album Playmates, and also opened their recent show at Williamsburg’s Rough Trade.
“I’d like to thank my friend Christy, who is here tonight, who woke me up in the park that morning, (with) that song,” Ladder said after the song finished. “True story.” This wouldn’t be that interesting if Jack Ladder & the Dreamlanders weren’t visiting New York from Sydney, Australia, the other side of the world. (There are a lot of Australians in New York, and it seems like most of them were at Rough Trade that night).
Jack Ladder is very good at stage banter. He has a droll, self-deprecating sense of humor. After “Let Me Love You,” he took a long pause, and then purred, “this is nice.” In his baggy brown suit with his shirt collar unbuttoned and his tie undone, he looked like a hungover traveling salesman. Lead guitarist Kirin Callinan has the most interesting look. He took the stage in a white pimp hat and matching white jacket draped over his shoulders. During the show, he ditched the jacket and hat, revealing a silky floral-patterned t-shirt and slicked-back hair. He’s pretty cool, but in an intentionally dorky way.
Jack Ladder & Dreamlanders feel like a secret amongst those in the know. Their tour has ended but you can stay in the know by following them on Facebook. Playmates is out now from Fat Possum.
Liam Mathews
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