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It is said there is nothing new under the sun, and that is especially true when it comes to rock & roll. It is a tired genre, more than half-a-century old, and at this point, heavily diluted through derivation. All of which makes De Novo Dahl’s Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound especially impressive.

After having indie success with 2005’s Cats & Kittens, De Novo Dahl jumped to the big leagues, signing a deal with Warner-distributed Roadrunner Records. The band clearly wanted to make a grand statement with their major-label debut, and for the most part, they reached their goal.

The most exciting developments in rock in the new millennium involve the synthesis of rock rudiments with other musical elements, such as world and electronic music. On this recording, De Novo Dahl synthesizes British-accented classic rock and New Wave into a joyous, vibrant, and groovy musical mix, combining the danceability of the latter with the dramatic, larger-than-life aspects of the former.

Produced by Justin Loucks, Ian Fitchuk, and the band, and mixed by David Friddman and Tony Doogan, the album has a majestic, psychedelic, wall-of-sound quality to it — ringing guitars; swirling synths; funky bass and beats; huge, sing-along choruses. But as strong as the production is, it is the the songwriting, the arranging, and the musicianship, including the vocals, which distinguish this effort.

The core group — Joel J. Dahl (lead vocals, guitars), Keith Lowen (bass, vocals), Serai Zaffiro (vocals, omnichord, percussion), and Joey Andrews aka Mixta Huxtable (drums) — are all skilled musicians and deliver tight, spirited performances throughout the album’s 13 tracks. The record is awash in synth sounds and sound effects, and three different keyboardists contributed to it, including Arlo Hall, who played keys on all but three of the tracks. However, Matthew “Moose” Hungate, the group’s new, full-time keyboard man, was not among those contributing because he joined the band after the record was completed.

Dahl is an expressive vocalist whose lead parts are strongly supported by the backing vocals, particularly those provided by Lowen and Zaffiro, who shares the lead on “Means To An End,” a 6:07 homage to Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie. Throughout, the vocals add greatly to the record’s big sound.

The album kicks off with the first single, the exuberantly poppy “Shout,” in which Dahl encourages the listener to, “Just shake the fear right out of your head/’Cause if you don’t, it can leave your spirit for dead.” Dahl is a clever and inspired lyricist. On the chorus of “Shout,” he sings, “Your life is all around you, just stop and let it astound you.” He tells “Heartbreaker,” “I’ll accept the challenge you’re sending with your smile.” On “Marketplace,” he offers, “I heard there’s a big sale on the love of a lifetime./ You can get it for nothing, but time.” He intones “It’s a long shot/But it’s all I got” on “Subject Of The Kill.” And on “Be Your Man,” he informs the girl he saw looking at him at a party, “You put me in a trance, the way you fill out your pants.”

When it comes to retro rock, it doesn’t get any better than “Be Your Man,” 110 seconds of frenetic, hormone-driven, full-tilt bliss, complete with chunky power chords and Vox organ sounds. Full-blown rockers like “Be Your Man” and “Subject Of The Kill” represent one part of De Novo Dahl’s potent, pop-rock recipe; power ballads like the aforementioned “Marketplace” and the closer, “Not To Escape,” and pop/dance numbers, such as “Shout,” “Heartbreaker,” and "Make Some Sense," make up the other parts of their musical mixture. As combined on Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound, the result is a sophisticated and lively set of postmodern rock & roll.

— Daryl Sanders