The Deathray Davies - Discography (1999-2021)

The Deathray Davies
Biography
Hailing from Dallas, TX, the Deathray Davies woo listeners with a dizzy, fuzzed-out version of retro garage pop that harks back to such '60s bands as the Kinks and the Seeds. The Davies began in 1998 as the one-man show of singer/guitarist John Dufilho, whose songwriting vault contained several songs that didn't seem fit for his present band, Bedwetter. After moving from San Antonio to Dallas, Dufilho recorded his solo debut under the Deathray Davies moniker, playing all of the instruments himself. The resulting record, Drink with the Grown-Ups and Listen to the Jazz, was released in 1999 on Idol Records and the "band" was invited to play at the South by Southwest Festival based on a three-song demo. Luckily, by the time the festival rolled around, Dufilho had assembled a full lineup including Bedwetter bandmate Jason Garner, Kevin Ingle, Chomsky drummer Matt Kellum, Legendary Crystal Chandelier frontman Peter Schmidt, and Transona Five's Rachel Smith.

Dufilho recorded The Return of the Drunk Ventriloquist in 2000, once again handling many of the instrumental duties himself despite having a band ready to back him. The Deathray Davies' third album, The Day of the Ray, released on Idol Records in 2002, finally found the band fully realizing the sound it had developed during live shows. With this outing, Dufilho recorded with the band's solid lineup: Dufilho, Garner, and Ingle, as well as Greg Price, Mike Middleton, and Bill Shupp. The Deathray Davies moved to Glurp Records for the release of Midnight at the Black Nail Polish Factory in the fall of 2004 and followed it up in early 2005 with their strongest album to date, The Kick and the Snare. At this point, the group still revolved around the vocals and songwriting talents of John Dufilho, with old hands Middleton, Garner, and Ingle (as well as the new additions of drummer Robert Anderson and keyboardist Chad Ferman) providing able musical backing. ~ Charles Spano

1999 - Drink With The Grown-ups And Listen To The Jazz FLAC Tracklist:
1.01 - The Deathray Davies - They Stuck Me In A Box In The Ground pt. 1 (2:55)
1.02 - The Deathray Davies - The Deathray Davies Set The Original Tone (2:06)
1.03 - The Deathray Davies - Elephants (2:44)
1.04 - The Deathray Davies - The Strongest Man In The World (2:06)
1.05 - The Deathray Davies - Divine Sarcasm (1:23)
1.06 - The Deathray Davies - Enjoy The New Planet (4:02)
1.07 - The Deathray Davies - The Last Train To Deathville (2:27)
1.08 - The Deathray Davies - Set To Stun (2:55)
1.09 - The Deathray Davies - Drizzle (3:15)
1.10 - The Deathray Davies - I Color Outside The Lines (2:08)
1.11 - The Deathray Davies - Jesus Loves Mike D. (3:40)
1.12 - The Deathray Davies - Alarm Clock (3:35)
1.13 - The Deathray Davies - They Stuck Me In A Box In The Ground pt. 2 (2:46)
1.14 - The Deathray Davies - The Experts (2:25)

2000 - Return Of The Drunk Ventriloquist FLAC
Crunchy power pop, with plenty of paired guitar and fuzzed-out organs. There's also liberal use of acoustic guitars to augment the songs. The stuff here isn't that spectacular, but you'll find a tune or two that you'll like. Some tracks even develop a dreamy, droney feel.

Tracklist:
1.01 - The Deathray Davies - I Am Still the King Of Confusion (0:55)
1.02 - The Deathray Davies - Square (2:41)
1.03 - The Deathray Davies - I Put Opium In The Food (3:07)
1.04 - The Deathray Davies - Corrective Lenses (2:42)
1.05 - The Deathray Davies - Jack Never Crashes (2:54)
1.06 - The Deathray Davies - The Bitter Old Man Blues (3:43)
1.07 - The Deathray Davies - Clever Found A Name (3:44)
1.08 - The Deathray Davies - Evaporated (3:45)
1.09 - The Deathray Davies - Behave You Silly Freaks (3:13)
1.10 - The Deathray Davies - I Never Thought Today Would Be So Strange (3:04)
1.11 - The Deathray Davies - How To Tune A Guitar (3:18)
1.12 - The Deathray Davies - Dear In The Headlights (2:52)
1.13 - Deathray Davies - The Quiet Game (0:09)
1.14 - The Deathray Davies - I Killed Mr. Red (1:03)
1.15 - The Deathray Davies - Chinese Checkers And Devo Records (3:48)

2002 - The Day Of The Ray FLAC
The Deathray Davies' The Day of the Ray screams "we are the mods!" with a groove reminiscent of the Kinks as well as recent Jam revivalists like the Insomniacs. This isn't garage rock like the Mooney Suzuki, it is unabashed garage pop, and the Davies have finally been able to reproduce their live sound in the studio with a full band. "I'm From the Future" packs all their fuzzed-out intensity, catchy hooks, and grinding, Kinks-y keyboards into one song. Tracks like "Don't Point at the Stoners" and the simple "Her First Party" -- which never takes off as much as you'd expect -- seem weak by comparison to the surrounding material, but they are more than made up for by the dreamy, handclaps-and-all sound of "She Can Play Me Like a Drum Machine" and the psychedelic rumble of "The Medication's Gone." The Day of the Ray is an album that could have been called "radio-friendly" back when it meant something.

Tracklist:
1.01 - The Deathray Davies - Is This On? (2:08)
1.02 - The Deathray Davies - I'm From The Future (3:10)
1.03 - The Deathray Davies - Don't Point At The Stoners (1:14)
1.04 - The Deathray Davies - Persuasive Is Your Name (2:10)
1.05 - The Deathray Davies - She Can Play Me Like A Drum Machine (3:02)
1.06 - The Deathray Davies - The Aztec God (2:24)
1.07 - The Deathray Davies - Her First Party (2:42)
1.08 - The Deathray Davies - The Medication's Gone (4:14)
1.09 - The Deathray Davies - Spinecracker (1:19)
1.10 - The Deathray Davies - Starting To Stop (2:45)
1.11 - The Deathray Davies - Pulling Teeth (2:36)
1.12 - The Deathray Davies - They Stuck Me In A Box In The Ground pt. 4 (2:59)
1.13 - The Deathray Davies - It's Hard To Run Uphill On Stilts (6:36)

2003 - Midnight At The Black Nail Polish Factory FLAC Tracklist:
1.01 - The Deathray Davies - I. The Staring Contest (0:48)
1.02 - The Deathray Davies - Gone Against The Tide (3:20)
1.03 - The Deathray Davies - I Was That Masked Man (2:38)
1.04 - The Deathray Davies - The Girl Who Stole The Eiffel Tower (3:33)
1.05 - The Deathray Davies - Low And Silent (3:49)
1.06 - The Deathray Davies - II. Maggie Doesn't Blink (2:45)
1.07 - The Deathray Davies - Dominique (3:01)
1.08 - The Deathray Davies - I Regret The Day I Tried To Steal Daniel's Ego (4:04)
1.09 - The Deathray Davies - III. "You Can Keep A Straight Poker Face Or Play Dead In The Movies" (0:40)
1.10 - The Deathray Davies - How To Win At Roulette (1:53)
1.11 - The Deathray Davies - They Stuck Me In A Box In The Ground Part 5 (3:18)
1.12 - The Deathray Davies - Midnight At The Black Nail Polish Factory (5:37)
1.13 - The Deathray Davies - IV. Just What Is Maggie Thinking? (2:49)
1.14 - The Deathray Davies - Untitled (2:18)

2005 - The Kick And The Snare FLAC
After a 15-year nap, garage rock, exploratory pop band The Deathray Davies are back and are working on two new albums while seeing their back catalogue reissued through, We Are Busy Bodies. Working in reverse chronological order, the reissue series is starting with 2005's The Kick And The Snare, which has been treated to a vinyl remaster. Principal songwriter, John Dufilho has kept busy with the Apples in Stereo, CLIFFFS and various other projects. Starting in 1999, the band toured with the Starlight Mints, the Breeders, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Old 97's, Superdrag, Centro-matic, Pete Yorn, Superchunk, BRMC, among many others.

Tracklist:
1.01 - The Deathray Davies - The Fall Fashions (3:59)
1.02 - The Deathray Davies - Release The Squid (Box 6) (3:55)
1.03 - The Deathray Davies - Plan To Stay Awake (2:05)
1.04 - The Deathray Davies - They Stuck Me In A Box In The Ground Pt. 7 (3:39)
1.05 - The Deathray Davies - Stumble (2:57)
1.06 - The Deathray Davies - Clock In Now (2:43)
1.07 - The Deathray Davies - Chainsaw (denn die toten reiten schnell) (3:43)
1.08 - The Deathray Davies - In Circles (3:51)
1.09 - The Deathray Davies - I'll Sing A Sweeter Song Tomorrow (3:19)
1.10 - The Deathray Davies - A Calendar Crime (2:30)
1.11 - The Deathray Davies - Alaska (5:11)

2021 - Time Well Wasted FLAC
The Deathrays absorb influences from the 'British invasion' staples the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Zombies, to Bob Dylan and the Beach Boys, to the Ramones and the Replacements. They're about songs, songs, and more songs, Dufilho's oft-understated expressions blooming within charmingly eccentric arrangements and bouncing progressions mottled with showers of guitar and keys.

Tracklist:
1.01 - The Deathray Davies - Tapping on the X-Ray (3:04)
1.02 - The Deathray Davies - Oh Stars (2:53)
1.03 - The Deathray Davies - False Alarm (3:21)
1.04 - The Deathray Davies - Talking with Friends (2:44)
1.05 - The Deathray Davies - Close Your Eyes and Floor It (3:00)
1.06 - The Deathray Davies - Medicine Head (3:04)
1.07 - The Deathray Davies - I'm in Love with Alexa (2:47)
1.08 - The Deathray Davies - Don't Let Me Fall (2:49)
1.09 - The Deathray Davies - Lucas, I'm in Room 39 (2:30)
1.10 - The Deathray Davies - Then You Met Me (2:45)
1.11 - The Deathray Davies - They Took Your Brains (2:30)
1.12 - The Deathray Davies - You and Me Until the End (2:07)
1.13 - The Deathray Davies - Trust Me Tonight (3:52)