Dakoda Motor Co. - "Railroad"

Dakoda Motor Co. - Railroad
1996, Atlantic

1. Falling Down
2. Rattlesnake
3. Railroad
4. Brother Mother
5. More
6. Befuddled
7. Followed Me
8. Sampled
9. Odd Man Out
10. Tommy

There's not a lot of information about Railroad out there. Heck, I didn't even bother to buy it when it first came out. I have no idea why, though. I knew that Davia left the band and Melissa Brewer brought in. For whatever reason I'd just decided I was done with Dakoda Motor Co. It could also be that most of what I'd heard about this album was, "Eh...it's alright." I got this to complete my DMC collection because I sort of consider myself an archivist of all this Christian music. I also wanted to really dig into it and see if it was any good. Eh...it's alright. Melissa is a suitable replacement for Davia but she's not given much to do. Peter sings more on this album than he had on the previous and he's not singing well. He's sort of doing this screachy shouty voice - not like the smoother vocals he used to do. It's a shame because Peter and Melissa sound really good together. It's like, dude, you hired this woman to sing - let her sing! Also, the music itself is really missing something. This was the band's big label debut for Atlantic records. I feel like this is really watered down. The previous albums had that fun surf-pop vibe with really catchy, unique songs whereas Railroad sounds like milquetoast mid-nineties alternative rock. None of the songs really stick out. I'm not sure if this was the label's fault or the band's, but it's definitely missing that spark that made the first two albums so fun to listen to. Well...at least I can say I have a copy for the vault.

Useless Fact: Peter King hosted some show on MTV in the summer. It was about beach sports or something? I can't remember. He was on a beach - I do remember that.

Dakoda Motor Co. - "Welcome Race Fans"

Dakoda Motor Co. - Welcome Race Fans
1994, Myrrh

1. Alive
2. Truth
3. Trip to Pain
4. Uglier
5. Love Runs Home
6. Where Did It Go?
7. Stand Up
8. Ooh, That Girl
9. Friend in My Eyes
10. Free
11. Rockin' in the Mall

When I was young I didn't like this one as much as the debut. I have no idea why. It pretty much picks up where the last one left off. It might be a bit heavier. No... heavier's not the word... harder? More electric? Less acoustic maybe. Yeah... less acoustic. Anyway, I didn't like it at first but it's grown on me a lot after all these years. In fact, I'd ask my teenage self what the heck my problem was. This album is every bit as fun as the first. If you liked Into the Son it's not a stretch to say you'll like this too. I got to see these guys in concert at Kingdom Bound. Everyone wanted to mosh but Peter King said they couldn't. He had this little song, "Jump up and down, but not side to side!" It was pretty funny, they put on a good show.

Useless Fact: "Where Did It Go?" has lyrics printed in the liner notes but in the actual song Peter King just mumbles a bunch of nonsense words. It's more amusing than you'd think.

Dakoda Motor Co. - "Into the Son"

Dakoda Motor Co. - Into the Son

1993, Myrrh

1. Wind an' Sea

2. Grey Clouds

3. Need a Love

4. Ocean Seems

5. Only the Beginning

6. Everything

7. Sondancer

8. Wasteland

9. Freedom

10. All Good Generals

11. Sing Hallelujah

Was it okay to put out happy music in '93? Dakoda Motor Co. somehow managed it and the world is a little bit better for it I think. Dakoda Motor Co. play a brand of surf-pop/rock that's all about the beach, the waves, the sun, and it makes you feel good. Davia's vocals are smooth but a little on the nasally side - a fact I noticed having listened to this album again after twelve years or so. Also, the lyrics have a few too many sun/son puns for me. Despite the puns this remains one of my favorite albums and I listen to it quite regularly. While this is tailor made for summer listening, I got it in the fall so to me it's always been fall music. It was the fall of my first year in high school and it is linked very strongly with Nickelodeon's SNICK line-up, specifically Roundhouse. Lots of warm fuzzies with this one...

Useless Fact: The first pressings of this disc just said "Dakoda" because the band didn't know there was another Dakoda out there. All subsequent pressings had "Dakoda Motor Co." on them. I had a first printing of the tape and I got rid of it a long time ago. Doh!