The Horrors invade Hartford THIS SUNDAY NIGHT

THE HORRORS will be in Hartford, their second ever U.S. show, this Sunday, 29th October, as a part of the first annual Shag Frenzy Halloween Party. Celebrate the holiday of evil with the most talked about, ghoulish garage rockers in England right now!!!

SHAG FRENZY HALLOWEEN PARTY
feat. THE HORRORS

7PM DOORS, 9PM BAND
21+ WITH VALID ID
ADMISSION: $3 with two (2) cans of nonperishable food, $5 without food

SWEET JANE'S
88 PRATT STREET
DOWNTOWN HARTFORD
INTERSECTION OF PRATT & TRUMBULL STREETS, NEAR THE CIVIC CENTER

THE HORRORS Myspace
"SHEENA IS A PARASITE" Music Video

120 Days

120 DAYS
120 DAYS
VICE/WEA
2006

The little press blurb that is written on the back of this self-titled release by Norway's 120 Days throws in words like "Neu!", "Kraftwerk", "guitar", et cetera. Needless to say, I was intrigued to listen to this cd. Was it going to be a full-on Krautrock-by-way-of-Norwegians album or was it just desperation in describing another run-of-the-mill electronic band who happen to also hold instruments that have strings attached to them? Well, it's definitely more like the former, although this isn't some 4 song, 45 minute sterile German knockoff by any means. You can, if you want to, dance to this record, and you can, if you want to, get lost in it's beauty with headphones on a rainy morning.

Opening track "Come Out, Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone" is an epic of an opener, clocking in at nearly 9 minutes. It has a chugging analogue synth melody and dissonant, drowned deep guitars. It wouldn't sound out of place next to Primal Scream's "Autobahn 66", another track owing heavy royalties to the Krautrock regime. "Sleepwalking" is fabulous and has that kind of Kasabian vibe to it, the dancy rhythms with chunky basslines and a vocal that isn't really different from that of the mighty K either. "Get Away" harkens back to that quintessential postpunk bass riff of old over a cold, dark programmed drum beat, sounding not too far off from something on the first few Sisters Of Mercy singles before they were signed by WEA. Don't worry, because, vocally, they never make it into Andrew Eldritch territory, so don't fret about having to figure out if you need to wear black eyeliner when you hear it.

120 Days are nothing new, really, and that can be evidenced by listening to it or checking how many names in this review I checked as an influence or peer. But, they succeed in making a rhythmic album that transcends the normal, boring 4/4 techno dancefloor, as well as making a record that can be ambient without being monotonous and sterile. The way I try to describe this band to my friends is basically this: Kraftwerk, Can, Neu!, Suicide, Primal Scream, Kasabian, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, Slowdive and Cocteau Twins, all mixing in a bowl of Norwegian pop goodness. Eat it up.

The DFA Remixes, Chapter Two

THE DFA REMIXES, CHAPTER TWO
DFA/EMI/ASTRALWERKS
2006

Reviewing and listening to a DFA remix album always means 2 things: the average song length will end up being 8.5 mins and James Murphy/Tim Goldsworthy are spot on as being two of the most consistent and entertaining remixers in the industry today. The elements of disco-era basslines, No Wave percussion, and bleeps that would make Warp Records proud are evident as always. This second set of remixes (the first was released earlier in the year) proves no different. 8 tracks in 72 minutes means disco thunder for the hipsters and the unhip alike. Everyone can groove to this stuff.

Tiga starts it off with his single “Far From Home”, off his excellent Sexor album from earlier this year, with the DFA completely making this campy little fingersnapper into a melodic, Kraftwerkian romp with synth melodies that remind me of the German synth pioneers’ classic “Autobahn” single from 1974. It’s utterly beautiful, the kind of song that can end a night of clubbing on a high note, especially with the last 3 minutes bringing about a “going to Sunday church” feeling.

“Shake Your Coconuts”, the 2003 single by Danish electro duo Junior Senior, is given the typical DFA disco treatments, with a postpunk-sounding bassline that wouldn’t be out of sorts with a Gang Of Four record. At just over 5 minutes, it is the shortest song on the record, and also one of the best. If you don’t dance to this song, the rigor mortis has already set in.

Hot Chip’s “Colours” is next, and is my least favorite mix on the album. It’s not because it is a bad song or that the DFA totally muck it up. Not at all. But, it’s really very ambient, not beat heavy, and its inclusion as the third track of a 72 minute dance tour de force just makes me feel that it should have ended the album on the “next morning come down”.

The fourth track is much better, as N.E.R.D.’s hit “She Wants To Move” is given the Murphy/Goldsworthy touch, with nifty little D.A.F.-sounding synth flourishes touching Pharrell & company’s muddied up funk and raunch. The percussion is outstanding, and the amount of cowbell is just perfect, if you ask me.

I’m not the biggest Nine Inch Nails fan, but I did kinda fancy last year’s single “The Hand That Feeds”, and in DFA remix format, I like it even better. Trent Reznor’s immediacy and tension from the original track is still here, but this is the first time I’ve thought about swaying to a NIN song as opposed to wanting to mosh and do cheesy goth dances. You know the kind I’m talking about, those chicks with the big boots, stomping on a dark floor. James and Tim actually make Trent Reznor into a fun artist.

My favorite track is the 13 minute epic mix given to Goldfrapp’s 2006 song “Slide In”. Alison’s fragile, sultry vocal is thrown into a percussion crock pot, evoking the old sounds that Salsoul Orchestra would throw in to their disco epics of the late 1970’s. I can see Larry Levan in heaven, right now, grooving to this, playing it at the Paradise Garage in the sky. Somewhere in my fantasy world, Shiela E. and A Certain Ratio's Simon Topping are playing with Goldfrapp and the DFA in some seedy disco in the dirtiest part of the city. Yes, the song is that good.

The typically funky Chromeo is given the harsh electro treatment on “Destination Overdrive”. I really like the original, and this remix is a bit on the harsh side, a la Daft Punk or Justice if they were twiddling the knobs. And, I swear, there is this little “da da da da” part that reminds me of Hardfloor’s classic acid single “Acperience”. Maybe I am crazy.

It’s no surprise that UNKLE’s “In A State” is here, as the final track, because Tim Goldsworthy was one of the founders of influential UK label Mo' Wax, home to UNKLE, DJ Shadow, etc. To be honest, I only bought the first UNKLE album, Psyence Fiction, and have heard nothing at all since. Having said that, I have no clue what the original sounds like, and, in remix form, it’s pretty entertaining. Not one of my favorites here, but a fitting song to include at the end of the album. If only that damn Hot Chip song was last!

Overall, a highly recommended remix compilation for those who want to groove in a club or in a living room, and for those who want to look cool having a cd with that DFA lightning bolt on the sleeve art.