Perhaps the most captivating aspect of Dartz! is not their excessive exclamation point usage, but their non-musical sources of inspiration. While the crafty unkemptness of the trio may occasionally remind you of the volatile energy of This Aint Vegas, Dartz! insist their motivation lies in the words of Hemingway and Dostoevsky, or the memories of times spent in New York and Prague. Appropriately so, This Is My Ship unfolds like a sachet of treasured recollections in a jagged but keenly exuberant manner.

At first, the coarse call and response vocals of bassist William K.J. Anderson and drummer Philip J. Maughan appear reminiscent of less-convincing traditions of pop punk (that of deafeningly obnoxious screamo acts of teenage boys), but the winning dance quality of their tunes is brighteningly redeeming. The fact that the trio emerged from a spontaneous one-gig-deal gag of trading their instruments between each other some two years ago makes complete sense. The contagious sense of spur-of-the-moment merriment weaves in and out of their brand of pop, one that you can dance to and think to. It boasts infectious features suggestive of fellow newcomers Foals. 




Despite the stationary lyrical patterns of dwelling in parks and watching the clock, the groove-driven character of _‘Network! Network! Network!’_ kindles a force fluorescently apparent in the remainder of the album. The combination of guitarist Henry J. Carden’s nomadic handiwork of a rattling spirit and the hyperactive antics of Maughan’s drumming keep the ship afloat. When it comes to dance floor potential, _‘Prego Triangolos’_ takes the cake; it’s a tune destined for club spins.

‘Teaching Me To Dance’ actually sounds like an instructive track, intending to teach a shy wallflower to shake it.

Fitting right in with a handful of sharp and smart new arts, it is difficult to internalize Dartz!’s skittering strain for more than superficial entertainment. _This Is My Ship_ exhibits the craftiness of a trio with an attractive amount of potential, but is slave to a formula perhaps externally forced – you pine for Dartz! to spring out of their box. Regardless of what appears like a rather restrictive album direction, _This Is My Ship_ certainly exposes gemlike jiffies worth experiencing.