The Drama Dolls are the brainchild of ex Colony bassist, guitarist and main songwriter, Mike Cambridge, who also handles the mixing and production. Mike, along with drummer Alan Bristow and Agatha on keyboards form the nucleus of the band, with vocals by acclaimed US rock singer Chris Hodges. The mastering of the 3-sided single, “The Sublime Art of Self Importance EP”, released on Velvet Ant Records, was handled by the Pete Mayer of U2, Muse and Jack White fame.
The reason the music business is in shambles has something to do with piracy…but in a strange way. The main problem is that there is virtually no talent who merits anybody’s hard earned money. Nowadays, any ass with auto-tune and a laptop gets a contract and radio-play. If there were more talent like The Drama Dolls in the industry, music as a whole would not be at the point it is today, people would spend their money to buy singles, Eps and albums, and the artists would reap the benefits of their hard work. Instead everything sounds the same, as if it was manufactured with the same software…and it probably was!
The Drama Dolls are different. They deliver genuine, raw, alternative rock and come out with all guns firing on “Don’t Waste Your Prayers”, the opening track from “The Sublime Art of Self Importance”. If there is a constant on this Ep, it is the fist-pumping anthems and melodic tunes. The guitar-attack blasts through the opening bars, burning with abrasive crunchiness, as the galloping bass and drum rhythm, tests Chris Hodges’ vocal cords which bellows and soars. The Drama Dolls demonstrate their versatility and musical strength with this Ep.
There’s plenty of heat here, mixed with guitar solos, mood inspirations, and straight ahead rock like on “I Want More”, which steams and boils with pressure-cooker precision without ever shooting off its lid. The band turn things up a notch on “King For A Day”, infusing the song with as much melodic catchiness as they do with crusty energy. The cherry on top is provided by the smoldering guitar solo. Apart from each individual member of the band bringing their own remarkable talent to the table, Mike Cambridge seems to find the perfect rock n’ roll sound to each song.
Mike handcrafts these tunes and treats each individual song as though it is Plasticene that he can mold into perfection. And ‘perfection’ here doesn’t mean glossy, shiny, slick production. It means finding that raw, sometimes abrasive but always melodic sound mix that makes rock n’ roll’s controlled chaos so alluring. Sleek production in rock can sometimes be likened to freckles on a hot blonde. No one gives a sh*t about the freckles because they’re all so concentrated on how tight the blonde’s ass is!
“The Sublime Art of Self Importance” defines pure rock with no strings attached – packing riff awesomeness, emotionally charged vocals, a solid guitar attack, and an amazing rhythm section, that culminates in hard-hitting, balls to the wall rock. It would be a complete understatement to say that this is a great unbridled rock recording by The Drama Dolls!
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