Dance Gavin Dance - Pantheon (September 12, 2025) • Page 9

lol. i couldn't care less if he has used or is currently using drugs. obviously that's not why he's a bad person.

 

I wish he would fully lean into being an indie/alternative/emo singer-songwriter like he does with his solo material. Zac Garren and Joe Arrington were supposed to collaborate early this year to write material for Kurt's next solo release. Kurt's best work is his solo work. I do love Royal Coda, and Gold Necklace, and everything else he does. I'm sure new A Lot Like Birds will be great, but it will feel odd without Cory Lockwood and Ben Jacob on it.

 

yeah kurts solo debut is one of my favorite albums of the 2010s honestly, such a diverse trip and everything works

 

I really miss Cory in a lot like birds, they were one of my favorite bands to watch live

 

Yeah I definitely think Cory was the emotional core of A Lot Like Birds... I'm a big fan of Andy's vocals, and he was good as a fill-in vocalist when I saw them live with him, but it definitely won't be the same.

 

So I got into DGD with Acceptance Speech by following Tilian over from TOM. Eventually I went back and checked out the Kurt records, which are pretty good. But somehow I'd never really given DBM a chance until now.

This may not be popular, but... goddamn. I'm almost already convinced after a couple listens that DBM is their best. Practically sounds like a different band. The instrumentals just feel totally different... heavier, more relentless and focused, no rapping, less of the poppy or overly silly moments that cropped up starting on S/T. It's just melodic post-hardcore done extremely well. Mothership is the only thing in their post-Jonny era that feels somewhat similar to me. And putting aside his many misdeeds, Jonny's raw vocal talent is undeniable and reaches higher highs than his successors.

Guess I'll have to get on DBM II next.

 

DBM is their best but i can't get into DBM II. it's not the same except the title.

 

I haven’t listened to DBM in so long, maybe it’s time. There’s a reason they blew up though, there’s magic in those songs. DBMII is a pretty big disappointment if you compare the two.

 

this is different than the leaked version. still don't like it, weakest song on the album probably

 

DBM is so good just did a full album playthru the other day. Miss that DGD

 

Just finished DBM II and you guys nailed it. DBM emphasizes everything I like about the later records, plus has a magic of its own. Whereas DBM II emphasizes all the later stylstic choices I don't love, and the production just doesn't serve Jonny nearly as well either.

I see some parallels between DBM and Translating the Name. Lightning in a bottle. Immaculate vibes. So much promise that was squandered so quickly by drugs and drama. Obviously there are a lot of differences in the specific situations and characters involved -- not trying to say the Saosin/AG stuff had nearly the same dark side -- but both of those records leave me with such a deep "what if?" feeling.

 

DBMII is my fave DGD record haha

 

Happiness and DBM2 are tied for me, especially in terms of emotional attachment. Happiness was my first DGD album and for 2 years the only DGD album I listened to. At the time I didn't listen to heavy music, and when DBM2 first came out I had trouble digesting it. Also was hesitant to emotionally invest in DGD because of the chaos surrounding the band. Then once I saw DGD at Warped Tour 2011 with Jon and Jonny (first time ever seeing DGD live), it was like my entire life changed. Seeing them live, the band finally made sense to me, and I started to embrace their chaos and lineup changes.

I looked at it like a family tree of Sacramento-linked post-hardcore, emo, screamo, indie, alternative influenced musicians. If you played with DGD or associated with them at some point, you were probably a really skilled musician and had music worth listening to. I think Swancore really took a life of its own right around Stolas' debut album that had features from Kurt, Jonny, and Tilian. It's like this massive collective of people with fascinating stories. Will was such a common link, that calling it all Swancore made sense.

There was the 10 year anniversary tour for me. I had opened for Jonny a few months before the tour, booked Kurt to DJ an after show, hung out with Kurt and Matt outside of their tour bus, had Strawberry Girls stay at my house, and just a ton of other things that happened beyond that. It was like one awesome experience after another with these guys who were the first musicians I ever looked up to who were right around my age. Before DGD, most of the bands I was a super diehard fan of where much older than me. So DGD were the first experience I ever had of having a connection with musicians of such a high stature who were my age or younger. Learned so much, became a better musician from being into them, and they just further invigorated my passion for the music industry.

 

DBM2 is the one I always remember disliking, then vibe with hard when I play it.

 

she watched the sky by a skylit drive is another record i would say was lightning in a bottle. i think it was heavily overlooked but there's some great stuff going on there. i heavily recommend give it a full spin if you haven't before.

 

Admittedly that's their only album I like of theirs but I absolutely love that one. Another similar for me would be Enter Shikari - Take To The Skies. That's the only album if theirs have liked too. Ah, what a time to be alive.....2007 was fucking GOOD with the tunes.

 

i never got into enter shikari but i only like that one skylit drive record too. jordan blake had some great music (trances, eleven) that got swept under the rug.

 

I don't think I ever checked out eleven but I remember liking trances and watch out! back in the day. Was super gutted when he passed a couple years ago as that skylight record is a scene highlight to me.

 

same. i was really into w!tg too. i think he was in razing alexandria or something but i don't remember if it was a song or an album.

 

Totally forgot about Watchout! There's Ghosts, that was the original Skylit Drive guy? I probably knew that at one point. I was into that really niche side of the scene along with Breathe Carolina.

 

yeah, it was just a two piece like breathe carolina. the album still holds up in my opinion.

 

I remember at first this confused me but I grew to love DBM2 and it became one of my favorite albums of all time. that time period where Secret Band and DBM2 came out is like none other imo

 

Unreleased track “Gingivitis” out there now. Potentially either a hidden track on physical copies or else for a later deluxe edition.

 

I wish the song was longer, it is the least DGD sounding song out there but I really enjoy it and like it better than some songs on the album. I can understand why it's not on the album though