Dungeon of Skeletons
Episode 508 - The IS Power Pop
My lady friend and I were relishing in the scene a few weeks ago on the beach in the Dominican Republic and feeling grateful and lucky as we were baking in the sun and enjoying hand-delivered vodka and sodas.
As we watched the ice melt and the drops of condensation slide down our plastic mugs, we listened to various playlists and all kinds of music as we scrolled around on our phones, looking for… something, but more than likely, nothing.
I stumbled upon a logo that tickled me. It was a logo for Dungeon of Skeletons; I presumed it was dreck. Maybe some Norwegian Death Metal band, but with my luck, some horrible death metal band from New Jersey.
For reasons you can see, I was immediately smitten:
Being tipsy enough to laugh at the idea of listening to that stuff, I hopped on to Spotify to track it down.
Found it.
Hit play.
Guess what?
This band is NOTHING like Norwegian Death Metal.
I told my lady friend by song three: “You gotta hear this.” And bounced it onto the speaker. Her ears and eyebrows shot up: “Who is THIS?!”
She’s still getting used to the quirks of dating a music nerd but beginning to understand the significance of hearing something revelatory. She’s also starting to develop an affinity for power pop.
We listened attentively for one play-through, and as the second play-through took hold, I jumped onto Instagram and searched for Dungeon of Skeletons. Found them and SLAMMED into their DM, asking whoever was manning that digital fortress if they wanted to be on the show.
It turned out it was the DOS majordomo Justin Kline. He got back to me and said they would be into it.
I shot Geoff a quick note saying that Dungeon of Skeletons would be the next interview. In my excitement, I am not even sure I sent a link to their Spotify page.
About an hour later, he replied, exclaiming: “THIS IS AWESOME!”
For the rest of our stay in the DR, we would listen to their album Patterns at least once daily. I honestly don’t recall the last time something grabbed hold of me like their album did.
It’s rare something as good as Dungeon of Skeletons comes along - but when the music Gods speak, we must listen. And, dare I say, the music was just the beginning.
Once we spoke to Justin and learned more about the band… well, I think Geoff said it best: “Gobsmacked!”
I don’t wanna give too much away before you listen, but let’s say that Dungeon of Skeletons has a lot in common with bands like The Beach Boys, Shoes, Oasis, and The Kinks - just sayin.
How can a band like Dungeon of Skulls Patterns album be “abandoned”? It just came out!
And, of course, we’ve had some listeners and artists say: “That’s crazy! That isn’t an abandoned album.” And they’re not wrong… but they’re not entirely correct. We’re not looking to talk to Axl Rose about Appetite for Destruction (although, The Spaghetti Incident would be a strong contender… wink).
For those folks who jump to the “THAT’S NOT ABANDONED” thought, I, Keith, only ask that they be flexible in the interpretation of the title of the podcast. Try not to be so literal and rigid.
As Geoff points out in this episode: “The mind only works when it’s open.”
Abandoned Albums is about connection. Connecting casual and not-so-casual music fans to music they have forgotten about, not know about, and we like to showcase new artists.
It’s very simple - Abandoned Albums is about linking music with people - connection.
Connect with Dungeon of Skeletons and their album Patterns.
EPISODE 508: PRESS PLAY
LINKS:
Book - Go All the Way
