Jam of the Day: Gang Gang Dance - "Lotus"

It always makes me nervous when an edgy band I like takes a more pop-leaning turn, as 9 times out of 10 they end up erasing what made them special to begin with. Gang Gang Dance have always been a gloriously odd art-pop collective whose releases get quirkier and quirkier. However, "Lotus," from their upcoming sixth record Kazuashita, shows the band crafting elegant pop, while still retaining the charm that drew me to them in the first place. It's a mesmerizing transition.

Non-Sequiturs

Romanian filmmaker Radu Muntean. Woof!

Spring seems to have bypassed us this year. We went straight from cold weather to blazing hot. I enjoy warm weather, not Africa hot weather.

Coachella announced that it will be hosting two weekends of music, consisting of the same or roughly the same lineup for both weekends. Seems rather silly to me to do it that way, because obviously you will have conflicts for both and there will be some artists that only play one weekend. It has also thrown my Coachella group into a bit of a tizzy since one of us doesn't feel like he will be going. We have to purchase tickets tomorrow or we may lose out on getting first weekend spots. I hate buying tickets when I have no idea who any of the acts are.

Wild Beast's album Smother is the best album of the year so far.

Burial's single "NYC" is working up to best track of the year.

When it rains it pours. Went weeks without work and now I have three projects going on at the same time, all wanting the majority of my time. I think I am about to go insane.

What is going on with all the fake Facebook profiles? I keep getting requests from people with either no pictures at all or pics of other people. I even received a request from someone using the picture of a dead friend as his profile picture! And also, what is going on with the people with altered and or fake names. I understand you may love Lady Gaga, but making your name John Gagamaniac Smith is not exactly endearing.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"Isolations, dotted lines
Seas of concrete, wild eyes
Streaking colors, blurred to one
Always moving, blinding sun
Blinding sun
Cold discomfort, safety glass
Seasons turning, dying grass
California, gilded crowns
Mile markers, counting down

Somewhere down, down
Down in the ocean of sound, sound
We'll live in slow-motion
And be free
With doors unlocked and open
Doors unlocked and open"

Death Cab For Cutie
"Doors Locked And Unopened"

"No my eyes ain't silver
No, no my eyes ain't blue
When your well it ain't got no water
I don't hate you I pity you

On a saigon night in God's sky
There's a butterfly on your wrist
The flies are stuck to your neck!
You see the... Search planes are out for you!

Better call the neurosurgeon
Our dreaming space it is open
Into the hospital I go

I said you better call the neurosurgeon
Our dreaming space it is open
Into the hospital I go

Watch me go
Watch me go
Here I go...
A newborn is coming!
Watch me go...

When I'm at war with the world I turn to you
When I am searching thru the downpour, you melt me
Thru and thru"

Gang Gang Dance
"Thru And Thru"

Appealing Things

The Snowman
Trailer for David Fincher's adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Taco seasoning
Cold beer on a hot day
Getting a tan again
Seeing Combichrist with good friends
Fort Troff

Annoying Things

The Snowman ending
Those Facebook posts for x event/issue that people want everyone to re-post and bully you in the process
Meetings where no one listens to common sense
Partners who, at first, come across as nice and your pal then, when they get stressed, turn out to be total horrors
Too much damn work
Two identical Coachella festivals
Two Door Cinema Club touring the US and not coming to Atlanta

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.

Videos of the Week

Praise Jebus it is Friday and we have a three-day weekend upon us. Here are a few of the videos I was hyped about for the week.



I loved Grimes' last album, and this is a single off her split EP Darkbloom with d’Eon. I like the Bjorkian/Fever Ray feel of the video.



Fractured art-funkers Gang Gang Dance's new album is still a puzzle to me. I can't decide if I love it or hate it. I do like single "Mindkilla" though and this is video from a live session.



Gauzy clip from the new Ravonettes album. Half of the album is great, but the other half puts me to sleep.



My favorite new band, Denmark's Iceage. Brings back great memories of early Wire and Joy Division.



Gorgeous new song from Bon Iver.





Radiohead released two songs from the King of Limbs sessions that didn't make it onto the finished album. Strange, because these two songs are really great. I actually made my own version of the album with these tracks on it, and it makes the album far more cohesive.



I like Death Cab For Cutie, but am not a diehard fan. But from what I have heard from the new album, I am kind of impressed. I love how this song starts so simply and just builds and builds.



And I love the first single and video.



As most people know, I am completely obsessed with Wild Beasts. Their new album Smother is the current front-runner for album of the year. This is a beautiful acoustic trio of songs with just Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming (in the hat). This video really highlights how gorgeous both of their voices are.

Gang Gang Dance: Eye Contact

I am really excited about the new Gang Gang Dance album Eye Contact, which comes out on May 10th. Above is the striking cover art. Below is the first video for the single "Mindkilla."



Here is the tracklisting:

01. Glass Jar
02. ∞
03. Adult Goth
04. Chinese High
05. MindKilla
06. ∞ ∞
07. Romance Layers
08. Sacer
09. ∞ ∞ ∞
10. Thru and Thru