Dent May, who opens for Quintron & Miss Pussycat at the Blank Club this Wednesday, is supporting his remarkably unique sophomore album, Do Things.
It is a complete 180 from his prior ukulele-oriented freak-folk album, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele. For starters, there’s no ukulele. It instead pulls heavily from 70s disco and 80s dance-pop.
One gets the impression that when May was recording Do Things he was listening to heavy doses of uncool, corny radio pop from the late 70s to the mid-80s—everyone from the Bee Gees to Kajagoogoo—and then repackaged it as a cool, lo-fi, modern indie album. The album is packed with disco beats, 80s synthesizers, slap bass and 70s funk guitar work, all used artfully, with a minimal amount of irony. May stated in a recent interview that he really likes the punk rock spirit in music and fully embracing cheesy pop tricks were his own form of punk rock.
What shouldn’t be overlooked is that May has created a legitimate sunny, pop record. What sets it apart from an actual cheesy 80s pop record is May’s songwriting sensibilities, which are heavily influenced by Brian Wilson and 60s psychedelia.
May’s voice—which might be the element that ties Do Things to his prior album—is also worth mentioning. He croons like a sad, soulful, lounge singer, often in his distinct falsetto voice.
The whole album plays like an old dance-pop record from an alternative universe. With lyrics like “Have a good time/for all of your life/feet on the ground/head in the skies” and “I don’t know what’s in store/but I think it’s going to be fun.”
Do Things, while a strange album, is an easy listen, perfect to take with you on a nice mellow day to the Beach instead of lugging along your guilty-pleasure pop albums from the 80s.
Dent May opens for Quintron & Miss Pussycat at the Blank Club on June 27. The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $10.
