Dimestore Haloes

The Ghosts of Saturday Night (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

The Dimestore Haloes are your theme for Saturday night. There's something about this band that harkens back to the days of Buddy Holly, roller rinks, and the `55 Chevy. There's something so undeniable about the rock'n'roll spirit exhibited in tracks like "City of Bottles." The guitars sound just as crisp as they did when Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" was showing the worst just what music could be.

I don't know quite how to put it; the feeling I get from these songs is somewhat of an intangible one. I mean, what exactly gives a song the qualities it needs to sound like something out of the `50s? Maybe I can't rationalize just what that means, but I'd bet a lot of you will know just what I mean when you hear the sounds of that guitar. They're by no means complex songs, but tunes that you will undoubtedly hum along with, and carefree lyrics that just have a terrifically optimistic spirit. Over the course of the band's ten-year history, this, The Ghosts of Saturday Night being the last of those, the band has endured quite a few lineup changes, but as a testament to their collective resolve, the band kept on going,. And it's because they did that I can sit here and write about these ten, undeniably fun rock'n'roll tracks.

The band's singer may not have the most pleasant voice at times, but remarkably, his sound is a very endearing one. Be it during the faster, punk-sounding tracks, or staying in tune for some good old rock'n'roll, the Haloes simply would not sound the same without him. Regardless of how his voice comes across, he's the driving force of each and every song. "Fastest Way Down" starts out with a quick burst of some Jerry Lee Lewis-esque piano playing, and it just gets better from there. The more I listen, the less I can comprehend why I'm not bagging the band for doing some of the same things I'd often bag other bands for doing. During the verses the guitar is more or less lifeless, but my foot will still not stop tapping. The guitar and piano combination towards the end of the song is one of the album's best moments, truly a perfect display of the fun to be had while listening to these songs. The choruses are rich and full of the sing-along qualities that make rock and punk the choice styles of so many people.

It only lasts for little more than a half-hour, but I'll be damned if these aren't the exact kind of songs that I'd be driving along to in my `55 Oldsmobile convertible with the top down, belting every word.