The Due Diligence‘s new record, Are You Down?, is something of a throw back, taking the concept of revival a step further. The songs on the album – with their gritty guitars, simple three chord structures, fun lyrics and charismatic attitude – seem to be almost fighting the current trend of taking influences from scattered pieces of music history, and just put you smack dab in the middle of 1960’s garage rock era. Indeed, this is a sonic environment that suits lead singer Sir Isaac Diligence, who has a wonderful presence on the record, and has become somewhat of a character thanks to his wimsical, playful, feel-good attitude.
However, the band takes this outdatedness and uses it to its advantage, turning it into a comment about what’s "cool," a word that – for better or worse – in recent years has been monopolized by our good old borogh of Brooklyn, where the group resides. In a place that is so romanticized as a setting where you can be unique and "cool" in your own way, Sir Isaac Diligence and The Due Diligence have found a way to kick all that bullshit out the window, and simultaneously celebrate it in a way that’s not contrived nor pretentious, but mostly just… fun. We recommended hitting up their album release party at Shea Stadium tomorrow (8/07) with support from Zula, Slonk Donkerson, and Pinegrove. -Jake Saunders