Dakota Shakedown/Pasadena ’68 – “Good Night Air”

These bands issued a joint release a little while back which we reviewed and loved. So it’s great to see them back and doing the same thing again. They may not be particularly well known here in the UK but they’re a bit of a super group really as the members have fronted their own bands previously. So both bands are certainly full of talent and song writing ability.

We’ll start off with Dakota Shakedown, their ‘side’ starts up with the magnificent “Hurry Up and Wait”. It’s a genuinely beautiful track, a moving pop/rocker that avoids being schmaltzy. There’s a more acoustic and singer-songwriter feel to the start of “The Lights” before it builds in to another pop/rock gem. Along with “You Shine”, there is almost a feel of Butch Walker at his most reflective. Whilst “Starting At A Guard” is the kind of big, bold power pop rock song that has us remembering the brilliant Crash Moderns.

All of that means the Pasadena ’68 have a lot to follow! Their first song “Double Speak” thankfully shows they are up to the job. Its style isn’t too dissimilar but it just turns the guitars up a bit louder. The same Butch Walker feel is also present on the rock ballad sound of “Happy To Be Next To You”.

The main shift in sound between the two bands seems to be a slightly more countrified feel to Pasadena ’68’s sound. Something implied by the title of “Nashville Skyline”. That track also has some nice horns which make it sound like a Lucero track, although much smoother in texture. That kind of ‘Americana’ flavour is also present on “Peace Garden State”. This ‘side’ then comes to an end with the modern rock n roll of “Slow Drag Nights”.

It’s a neat and different idea to present two bands on one release like this. It’s a risk though as it needs both bands to be able to step up to the plate or it could be disastrous for one of them. Thankfully there are no issues here and the result is you get two great bands for the price of one, which has to be a good thing.