[4/5]
It's entirely too easy to compare Dartz! to another troupe of northern England post-punks, the Futureheads. Both specialize in short, frantic tunes fit for manic dancing; each band also take musical cues from Fugazi's spiky throttling and early XTC's whirlwind tempos. But on the excellent This Is My Ship, Dartz! largely eschew mod-pop harmonies for intricate math-rock textures, crisp rhythms and melodic guitar spazzes. (Think Braid and Q And Not U spruced up for high tea.) "A Simple Hypothetical" features criss-crossed vocal lines-paging Victory Records-era Taking Back Sunday-while the handclap-driven new-wave bounce of "Network! Network! Network!" is insidiously catchy. This exuberance helps Ship stand out from the masses; just try to resist the corrugated "Prego Triangolos," whose shout-along chorus is full of joyful yelps and contains the immortal line: "You have three sides, but you're not a triangle/You have three sides, and you are a square." (DEEP ELM) Annie Zaleski
 Official Website: http://www.deepelm.com
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