The really ironic thing about The Dingees, I think, is the way they're ostracized by the "Welcome to Paradise"/"What's My Age Again?" "punk" community for not being "punk enough." What the pop punk scenesters don't realize, however, is that The Dingees may indeed be the punkiest band in the Christian market--instead of aping Green Day or Blink 182, they instead ape The Clash, without a doubt the most intelligent 1970s punk band to ever come out of England (they'd probably get that title for the entire world, if only the Talking Heads had never existed).
The Crucial Conspiracy is The Dingees' third album for BEC, and not much has changed. Still present are the reggae backbeats, the sultry trumpets and, of course, the street punk mentality of the lyrics. The band has added some synthesizers to their mix (as is the current trend), and this works rather well on some of the slower songs, such as "Dear Sister, Dear Brother." The Crucial Conspiracy is undoubtedly the band's best effort yet, and while their London Calling is still in the future, I am confident that it will arrive.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Ken MuellerThe Dingees are back with their third full-length cd, The Crucial Conspiracy, which is a bit rawer than their previous efforts but the end result is a pleasant surprise. Much of this is due to the guiding hand of producer Frank Lenz (drummer in Fold Zandura, Lassie Foundation, and Cush). The band was originally supposed to go into the Green Room with Gene Eugene to record this disc, but…Similar sounding releases
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