Damn the Diva

Flow and Steer
by Scott Hefflon

Falling somewhere between radio rock (aka “ignorable shit”) and musician-oriented, critic-pleasing alternaprog (aka indulgent wankery lauded as Radiohead’s next opening band), Damn the Diva won over one (as in me) who distrusts any band that emotes. The balance of passionate expression vs. needless theatrics-’cause-it’ll-sell-records is much like that of juggling apples and oranges at the top of the long flight of stairs to oblivion. And luckily, Damn the Diva have a remarkable sense of balance. While almost the first full minute of the opening track, “Beam Me Out,” jangles (the sound of loose change making its way down the aforementioned stairway), it doesn’t take long to launch into a chorus you’d hear on the radio and hum along with by the end. Or sing, if you can get the falsetto part down without sounding like a dweeb. But it’s “Diamond Days” that did me in. Falling for a ballad may come easily to some (I’m not sure whether to envy or slap you), but not to all. Simple, sweet, addictive, reminiscent of… something I can’t quite place, something lodged deep in early teenage memories, alone and thoughtful, melancholy as a rain-spattered window on a Saturday afternoon… And while the single, “Breezy,” stinks of pruned edges for the sake of appearances, songs like “Gravy” and “Favourite 45” with their Beatlesque “underwater” guitar sound, and practically every other song on Flow and Steer seems to flow unchecked. Filled with memorable melodies, an almost Beach Boyish vocal tone in the higher vocals, and plenty of wailing-away guitar work, Damn the Diva are a band destined to go the distance.