Gang Gang Dance: Eye Contact

Gang Gang Dance
Eye Contact
Rating: Grrrr

Over the course of two albums, Gang Gang Dance have evolved their sound, from the fractured/tribal art funk of their debut God's Money to the more free-flow electronica of Saint Dympha, the only consistency being a reliance on dense, layered percussion and the bizarre vocal tics of singer Liz Bougatsos. GGD have now taken another left turn, putting together an album that plays like a mix of the first two albums, but adds a more pop leaning sound. Of course, this being GGD, pop is all a relative term, and while there are distinct "pop" elements at work, the album is still joyously weird.

Starting off with the epic 11+ minutes of "Glass Jar," GGD doesn't pull any punches, flowing from liquidy synths and gurgles into all out trance-funk, coming across like Yoko Ono fronting Tangerine Dream.



"Adult Goth" merges echoing guitars with chilly synths and asian hinted percussion. Bougatsos' voice low in the mix until flying off into higher, almost angelic registers.



"Mindkilla," the first single, could actually be considered almost a straightforward pop song for them. Sticking to a verse/chorus/verse structure, and an insistent beat.



"Thru And Thru" is a standout track on the album, starting in a whirlpool of Middle Eastern sounding electronics and heavy percussion, before changing over to deep bass synths and miltaristic percussion, then morphing into effect heavy guitars and rave keyboards.



Stylistically, the album is all over the map, going from alternative rock, electronica, to R&B funk, sometimes in the space of the same song. "Romance Layers," featuring Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor on vocals, crooning over some retro new jack swing. It sounds bizarre on paper and indeed is bizarre on record, but somehow it works.



Less successful are "Sacer" which hangs too heavy on its dreamy vibe, without going anywhere, and "Chinese High," which on the verses hits the right amount of tension with the play between the percussion, keyboards, and guitars, but floats along at the chorus on cheap sounding synthesizers left over from Hall and Oates more lazy musical attempts.

But these are slight missteps that don't harm the flow of the record. Indeed, even if you are bothered by something you only have to wait a few seconds and the song is bound to change into something else. Eye Contact may be too adventerous for most listeners, and may even be considered not adventurous enough from long time fans. It is a fascinating album that never fails to entertain and surprise.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.