My Audition For Spin, Part 3

I'm finding as I do this that editing, forcing myself to cut words, serves a pretty distinct purpose. Granted, sometimes I lose parts of the review that I thought were really good and worthwhile, but other times I find that the process tightens up my writing and removes things that, upon reflection, I realize weren't that well-written anyway. I will probably continue with the process even when I don't have a specific word limit under which to bring the pieces I'm working on.

Death From Above 1979 – You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine
(Vice Records)

Halfway through a recent Death From Above 1979 gig, someone yelled, “Lightning Bolt!” Drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger affected confusion. “Lightning Bolt? Have you even been listening to the songs we’re playing?” Death From Above 1979, a duo composed of Grainger and bassist Jesse F. Keeler, bear no resemblance aside from their minimalist instrumentation to Lightning Bolt, who play jazzy, mostly instrumental noise-punk. These guys are a straight up rock n’ roll band. Other bands of that stripe who’ve removed an instrument from the typical rock setup have removed bass, resulting in a sound reminiscent of the days when transistor radios were state of the art. Death From Above 1979 are uninterested in this throwback impression. What they are doing by removing guitar is focusing concentration on the groove. Grainger’s drumming is pure timekeeping—solid, but with no frills. Keeler’s bass is front and center, impossible to ignore, his note-heavy riffs driving the songs all by themselves.

Their debut EP, Heads Up, was a 6-song blast of raging fury. Keeler’s nimble-fingered riffing crammed a million notes into every song, and Grainger’s drumming pushed them along at a galloping clip. Several of these songs replicate the EP’s fast, furious sound, but the majority of them are slowed down, funked up, and dripping with sexuality. Grainger’s moaning croons and excited yelps accentuate the feverish intensity of mid-tempo workouts like “Little Girl” and “Romantic Rights”. The album even ends with a full on disco-funk jam, “Sexy Results;” it’s unexpected, but it works. This is the sort of album that you can’t listen to without thinking about sex, making it the perfect record to put on when you get that punk rock girl you’ve been chatting up at the bar to come over for a “nightcap.” Don’t miss out—buy it now.

And now, for something a bit different: here's the original text I wrote, cleaned up but without any significant cuts.

Halfway through a 2003 Death From Above 1979 gig in Montreal (a bootleg of which I acquired through debatably legal means), an audience member yells “Lightning Bolt!” Drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger responds immediately. “Lightning Bolt?" He affects confusion. “Have you even been listening to the songs we’re playing?” While the audience member’s reaction is somewhat understandable, Grainger’s frustration is far moreso. Death From Above 1979 are a duo composed of Grainger and bassist Jesse F. Keeler, but aside from their minimalist instrumentation, they bear no resemblance to Lightning Bolt, who are purveyors of some of the harshest noise the current musical landscape has to offer. Death From Above 1979, on the other hand, deal in straight up rock n’ roll.

Other rock n’ roll bands currently at work in the indie scene who’ve chosen to remove an instrument from the typical rock setup, such as The Black Keys and The Coachwhips (to say nothing of those red and white-clad pseudo-siblings from Detroit), have removed bass, usually resulting in a sound reminiscent of the days when pocket transistor radios were state of the art listening devices. Death From Above 1979 are completely uninterested in creating this throwback impression in their own music. What they are doing by removing guitar is focusing concentration on the groove. Grainger’s drumming is pure timekeeping—solid, but with no frills, allowing him to concentrate on vocals. They occasionally add rudimentary synth notes for emphasis, but for the most part, Keeler is front and center, impossible to ignore, his note-heavy bass riffs driving the songs all by themselves. He is more than equal to the task.

Their debut EP, Heads Up (under the name Death From Above—the 1979 was grudgingly added at the insistence of in-vogue New York production team The DFA), was a 6-song blast of raging fury. The only factor that really separated them at that point from the noise-punk scene was Grainger’s vocals; he disdains screaming in favor of lascivious vocals that evokes a baritone version of Jerry Lee Lewis or Little Richard. Keeler’s nimble fingered riffing crammed what sounded like a million notes into every song, and Grainger’s drumming pushed the whole thing along at a galloping clip. Fans of Heads Up will find much to favor on You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine—in particular, “Turn It Out”, “Go Home, Get Down”, “Cold War”, and “Pull Out” replicate the EP’s fast, furious sound. However, Death From Above 1979 use the extended length they’ve been given to do some branching out and work with new sounds. Their emphasis here tends to be on the classic meaning of the phrase “rock n’ roll”—a lot of these songs are dripping with overt sexuality. Grainger’s vocals make more sense in this context, his moaning croons and excited yelps only accentuating the feverish intensity of mid-tempo workouts “Little Girl,” “Romantic Rights”, and “Black History Month.” In fact, the album ends with a full on disco-funk jam, “Sexy Results,” which is twice the length and half the speed of anything else here, and yet fits perfectly with the rest of the songs.

You’re a Woman, I’m A Machine is heavy and powerful, but it’s also the sort of album that you can’t listen to without thinking about sex—making it the perfect record to put on when you get that punk rock girl you’ve been chatting up at the bar to come over for a nightcap. Death From Above 1979 are devoted to becoming masters of the groove, and all for the purpose of helping you get laid. The least you could do to repay them would be to buy this album now.