Short Bursts #2, August/September 2004

A new installment of Short Bursts, and just in time!  I’ve got tons of new music to tell you about.

In the dance field, Junior Jack has been getting a lot of attention recently for his collaboration with The Cure’s Robert Smith, the Eighties-inspired hi-NRG of “Da Hype”.  His full-length debut Trust It is out now and features the aforementioned team-up plus neo-disco numbers like “Stupidisco” (which, if you haven’t seen its provocative video you need to) and “Thrill Me”.

(6/10)

Like some bat-out-of-hell juxtaposition of early U2 and Neil Young’s best solo stuff with a dash of madness, Inouk’s first full-length No Danger plays like some bizarre trainwreck of classic rock and post-punk.  The title track is an understated kinetic joyride, while “With the Birds” plays like a wild distillation of Brian Eno’s first three solo albums played at the same time.  No Danger is ambitious in its ingenuity.

(8/10)

Speaking of hell, the debut from The Retrosic would be the perfect soundtrack to a remake of The Omen or another of those religiously-charged Seventies horror flicks.  God of Hell is its name, and while it has a degree of danceability, there’s just something downright menacing about tunes like “Tale of Woe”, “Antichrist” and the brooding “Tears in Rain”.  The horror of humanity is The Retrosic’s calling card, and this makes God of Hell one wicked deck to be dealt.

(6/10)

If you’d like something a little lighter, the explosive pop of The Frenchmen might be right up your alley.  Their Clairecords debut Sorry We Ruined Your Party is a salvo of bright vocals and hyper drumbeats.  Blissed out indie pop manifesting with titles like “Crimes of Fashion” and “Veterans Day”, the group find a middle ground that blends the noisiness of the Jesus and Mary Chain with a smart pop aesthetic not unlike that of many of the bands from the sadly now-defunct Sarah Records.

(5/10)