I love New Order. That’s about as far as I go into electronic music, generally. (I’m not even sure if that counts. They play a ton of guitars in that band.) I don’t find myself in dance clubs often, probably because I find it difficult to move my body to music in any sort of natural fashion (I’ve got a hell of a head nod, but that’s about as far as my personal sense of rhythm goes.) One of the perks of writing for Citizen Dick is the variety of music that finds its way into our hands. I’ve moved away from my own personal biases towards guitars and choruses to review some excellent albums that wouldn’t be in the rock section of the record store (Bell Orchestre and Haushcka, primarily). Today, we’ll dive headfirst in fat beats and dope hooks. Telepathe is clearly electronic dance music, but it’s of high quality and provides enough meat and substance for even the stodgiest Creedence fan to hang a hat on. (That’s probably taking it too far. I enjoy Telepathe because I’ve got a slightly open mind, the bass lines make me feel alive and the harmonies are pretty. With that said, there’s probably not a lot here for you if you drove your souped up GTO to the tool and die plant today, cranking “Down on the Corner.”) (Last parenthetical: I feel bad for stereotyping tool and die manufacturers, so if your in that union and you love house music or something, I apologize.)
There’s a lot going on on Telepathe’s full length debut, Dance Mother, out on I Am Sound on April 14th. Happily, it’s, for the most part, pretty direct. The things that the duo, Melissa Livaudis and Busy Gangnes, do are often complex, but work with a singular motive. It’s music for shaking your ass too (or, in my case, tapping your toe while washing the dishes). There’s a dark edge to many of the tracks, but they’re consistently propelled by a catchy bass line and thumping percussion. “Chrome’s On It,” which appeared on last year’s EP, sets the formula for much of the record, with the bass and drums described above and circular, cyclical vocals. Livaudis and Gangnes’ voices spiral around each other on that track, resulting in a trance-inducing, mystical sound that is appealing to the electronic neophyte in me. This method reaches it’s apex on the stellar “Lights Go Down.” That track drips with a sneering menace, culminating in a chanted, harmonic chorus: “The hunt. The winners. The hunt. The killers.” The two voices bounce off of each other and occasionally sync, delivering a creepy punch.
The album is also laced with unpredictable electronic noises; somebody was enjoying themselves with the buttons on the synthesizer. The beeps, dings and laser beam noises often sink into a repetitive, iterative pattern, which, given the metallic nature of the sound is strangely calming and warm. When those odd electronic flourishes are laid down in looping, hypnotic passages, they almost recall a sitar, which is strange but completely works.
When I listen to Telepathe on my desktop, the next artist is The Tom Waits. I was deeply lost in Dance Mother, nodding and tapping and just generaly spacing out when the album’s closer, “Drugged” came to a close. “Drugged” features some of the album’s most soaring vocals and light sounding sonics. It’s a less doomy track than many of the others, closing the album on a positive note, sounding strangely hopeful, with ethereal “ooh-ooh-ooh”s tailing off as the tinny drum beat fades. Seconds later, Tom Waits hit, jolting me out of my keybaord-induced daze. It was a palpable reminder that I don’t often stray into Telepathe’s neighborhood. It’s a place worth visiting however. Dance Mother is going to be in the rotation for a while.
And, since it appears to be electro-music day here at Citizen Dick headquarters, we’d like to leave you with a kicking live performance of the best song in the aforementioned New Order’s catalog, “Ceremony.” Enjoy.
