Dynamos - Shake, Rattle, & Roll

Dynamos - Shake, Rattle, & Roll 

URL: http://www.dynamosmusic.com/ 

Dynamos emerged from the Southern California area with one of the boldest blasts of modern rock in recent memory with the release of their EP Cold Comfort and are now following its success up with the single “Shake, Rattle, & Roll”. Vocalist Nadia Elmistikawy, the beneficiary of vocal training from a very young age and an extensive musical education through her youth, gives the band a physically stunning and vocally superb presence who inhabits the band’s songwriting like a possessed presence. There’s no question, ever, that she’s involved with every word and she’s thankfully supported by musicians who bring just as much commitment to bear. “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” might draw its title from rock’s ancient history, but there’s nothing staid or retro about their presentation. Instead, Dynamos come out of their corner swinging and “Shake, Rattle, & Roll” is just the knockout punch fans of modern rock are looking for to remind them the guitar slingers and bluesy singers of the world aren’t an extinct species quite yet.  

 

The vibrant life coursing through the veins of the song is connected to the true and righteous spirit of rock and roll. It comes through so clear. The drumming and bass playing is simply on point and doesn’t settle for rote patterns – instead, both the bass and drums are exploring from the first and laying a steady, yet fluid, base for everything else this song has to offer. Jacob Mayeda and Carlos Barrea’s guitar work is a good fit for the rhythm section because they present a consistent sound that dovetails nicely into the bottom end and play with the same accomplished, yet rambunctious, sense of skill. The song is written to an ideal length and Dynamos emerge from this performance, musically, as a band loathe to waste the time or test the listener’s patience in the name of self indulgence. Instead, they come across as focused and intense as any five star rock band we’ve ever heard. 

 

Nadia Elmistikawy’s vocals and lyrics alike are the song’s crowning achievement. The singing, especially, does a bracing job of bringing rock and outright blues together while the lustful wail in Elmistikawy’s voice contrasts nicely with her more nuanced moments when we get a real sense of the “speaker” behind this lyric. It might reference old time rock and roll using this title, but it’s clear that “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” is, at its heart, totally their own and expresses its theme with boisterous rock and roll bite. Dynamos experienced a lot of much deserved success with their initial EP offering and, if this tune reflects the overall quality of their current songwriting, listeners can be sure that the next album or EP from this crew will expand on the promise heard in the aforementioned EP and set them up for further and bigger success down the road. They are a powerful outfit and there’s only way for them to go from here – up, up, up.  

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/dynamosmusic/ 

Dale Butcher