Dust of Days - Analog Mind Bender (2017)

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Written by Jason Hillenburg, posted by blog admin

Dust of Days’ Analog Mind Bender is the first release from this New Jersey based band since 2013’s EP Ethers and Embers and poises them to ascend the ladder to the next rung of widespread visibility. The dozen songs included on the release are definitely personal in nature, but drummer and vocalist Frank Lettieri Jr’s songwriting touches enough on universal human experiences that it further opens the band’s potential while still surely satisfying Lettieri’s inner need to write and communicate. Lettieri, obviously, reworked and refined this material until he was certain that it was ready to go and the mere three days it took for the band to cut the collection further testifies to that fact while recalling the way iconic bands worked during rock music’s infancy. Dust of Days are certainly big on guitars, but the six string isn’t the only story on this release. Dust of Days, likewise, incorporates unexpected instrumentation that never sounds out of place and repurposes traditional elements in exciting new ways.

Scott Silvester’s subterranean bass lays down a thick groove for the title song and opening cut “Analog Mind Bender” that alternates with the band’s two guitarists, Mike Virock and Jim McGee, striking a rousing note with the song’s melodic axe work. There is a ringing quality, akin to a bell, recurring throughout the song that gives it an added melodic lift. There is no such melodic lift present in “Aurora”, but there is a certain amount of finesse. Dust of Days goes back and forth from a full on vocal to spoken word during the verses, but Lettieri imbues the verses with memorable theatricality in his delivery that, nevertheless, doesn’t overreach. “Mustang” has a similar spirit driving it along. Lettieri is afforded a chance here to show off his emotive chops and doesn’t disappoint even if one moves away from this tune feeling like its potential peaks aren’t exploited enough. “Little Angel” excels largely on the backs of the fine rhythm section playing of Silvester and Lettieri’s drumming. It’s a song full of light and shadow as it moves back and forth from stripped back bass and percussion driven verses with massive guitar flourishes.

“My Dear” comes off as a more fully realized version of “Mustang”, albeit about very different subject matter, and it hits home with memorable emotional force. The guitar work from McGee and Virok is more nuanced here than ever before on the release and uncover a bluesy, elegiac eloquence in this performance. They make another 180 degree stylistic turn with the raging cut “The Circus” and its post-punk ferocity doesn’t diminish the same intelligence behind this tune that powers so many of the other cuts. “Death Vibrations” has some of the same punky spirit as the previous song, but there’s a more tempered edge to this than we hear on “The Circus” and more of a focus on Lettieri’s singing and lyrical content. Analog Mind Bender provides a thrilling listening experience throughout its duration and one of the most fascinating moments comes with the penultimate track “The Shore”. This haunted soundscape is carried by hazy piano, hushed vocals, and some surprising contributions from strings. It’s the most illustrative moment on the release showing off their capacity for surprise and shows that this is a band developing at an exponential rate despite the time between new releases.