It’s a big day for the Windy (and snow-covered) City’s indie/Americana circuit. After generating significant buzz over the past year, Chicago’s fun folk rockers, Dastardly, are finally dropping their bomb-of-a-debut album and will kickoff the grand release tonight at Schubas.

And yes, we realize that was a shameless public service announcement for hungry folk enthusiasts. So let’s go ahead and talk about the new Dastardly release, shall we?

The new album, May you never…, may be only 25 minutes in length but it’s a potent and impressive 25. Vocals are undoubtedly the band’s biggest strength: The tenacious, distinctive and raw voices of Gabe Liebowitz and Sarah Morgan are good enough by themselves. But add on the impeccably-written three-and-four-part harmonies that appear on most of the album’s seven tracks and you have the masterly Dastardly.

Liebowitz kicks through the doors with vocal guns blazing on “Villain,” and then ups the ante (most likely by risking life and limb to save the damsel in distress?) on the second track, “Exercises in Self Loathing.” If you’re as in love with Johnny Cash, Mermaid Avenue and The Pixies as this reporter is, it will most likely be your favorite tune. Even if you’re not, there’s no denying “Exercises” and “Middleground” form the catchiest pair of tunes on the disc, with their great melodies and fun, personal, lyrics.

Along with vocal prowess, Dastardly presents thought-provoking but light hearted lyrics that gradually weave together the intimate portrait of a character. One could question whether it’s is confessional in nature, or simply the creation of a complex persona, but that is irrelevant. It’s satisfying enough to hear as each song offers a glimpse into a complex personal history through its lyrics. And the art only gets better as the album progresses, culminating in the soulful chorus of the slow waltz called Traffic: “I was born in Traffic/I’m attracted to slow-moving obstacles.”

Sarah Morgan has her grand showcase on the first track as well, with a more personal and ‘jiggy’ effort on Crystallized. But it all leads up to her own peak on the penultimate track, “Morning Blue,” where Morgan’s graceful suspended ninths over soft, traditional acoustic folk make even the hardest of hearts want to let Bob Cratchit have the day off for Christmas.

All in all, it’s an extremely fun and well-produced effort worthy of the praise it will most likely receive. The most important thing is that the blemishes on the record, where present, are probably due to the points where the band wants to let loose (but can’t in the produced setting of a recording studio). Of course, logic tells us they probably turn this small weakness into a great strength on the stage, which is why folk enthusiasts out there should be eager for the impending and inevitable rise of Dastardly.
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Catch Dastardly on Thursday, December 9 (That’s tonight!), at Schubas for the May You Never… record release party!
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Dastardly -- “Villain”