Dada Plan
The Madness Hides (Independent)
The dystopian nightmare continues withThe Madness Hides, the sophomore LP from Vancouver's Dada Plan, this time with even more saxophone swagger and spoken word wisdom than before.
Lead vocalist Malcolm Biddle has proven himself to be a master of melody with his previous efforts in Sun Wizard, Capitol Six and even Dada Plan's first album,A Dada Plan is Free. With Madness, he veers off the path more into a world of beat poetry, spoken word and free jazz, staying true to his techno-apocalyptic vision.
The opener and title track begins with a rather enlightening passage: "reward yourself by checking your emails/no new messages" overtop Justin Williams’ signature syncopated bongo-beats and a healthy dose of spacey synths. "Wanda Greene" and "Into the Violence" could easily be B-sides from Brian Eno's Another Green World, swimming in dissonant brass and organ instrumentation, and abstract, prophetic lyricism.
Dada Plan has found a wonderful, bizarre niche that is so modern and relevant, it remains a mystery to why no one has tapped into it before. While they may be headed further into the abyss, there is no reason not to follow them to where the madness hides.
Rating: 4/5
