Dissecting TC Electropunk Vol. 5 – Part 2
I’m still jamming out on the TC Electropunk Vol. 5 album over here at the Borang house. It’s not everyday that I receive something in the mail that causes my thoughts to stir this much, and instead of writing a simple review of the Twin Cities compilation, I decided to do a little break down. Earlier this week I introduced the first of three articles describing my approach to understanding the album and the nature of our electropunk scene. You can read that article HERE for a bit of background, and what follows is my take on the second of three categories of my parsed handling of TCEP Vol. 5. Enjoy the music to come!
Electropunk as ElectroPOP
Six songs on TCEP Vol. 5 fall into my ElectroPOP category, a special place for songs that sound as if they might have been written as tributes to the likes of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, A-ha, or even The Cars! On the whole this collection of songs represents the brighter, happier side of the Electropunk album, although one song in particular does flirt with the darker topic of what is presumably disillusioned love.
That song is “Disenchanted” by Pop Inc, a seductively sung tune featuring opposing male/female vocals reminiscent of the The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” While the message of the song is different, it nonetheless imparts a similar frustration that many feel within or without their relationships, and moreover, it’s smooth! While many Transmission dancers enjoy the peppy bounce of “Don’t You Want Me,” “Disenchanted” offers a chance to get your best goth induced groove on. Next time Ladytron comes to town, they should seriously contact Pop Inc for an opener!
By contrast, St. Anthony Falls’ “Nihali’s Song” is the lighter side of ElectroPOP, and among all songs on TCEP Vol. 5 is probably the most straight up pop song from a classic Beatlesque perspective. The song is fit for sunny, laid-back Minnesota days, and allusions to the Stone Arch Bridge, the Mississippi, and that traditional Swedish “Oh ya” expression will make you feel right at home. (Unless, of course, you live somewhere else!)
Other ElectroPOP songs that stand out on the record include milkbar’s “Echo” and The Trapezoids’ “BASIC 20 Goto 10.” “Echo” is a fuzzy, synth driven tune that meanders forward in a fashion different from other songs on the album. Instead of encouraging one to enter the dancefloor, it might be better taken in with one’s feet up, a glass of wine in hand, and head resting back in audio euphoria. “BASIC 20 Goto 10” is accented by punctual, metered lines about video game consoles and other paraphernalia very near and dear to many an electropunk’s heart. I couldn’t help but be reminded of some early B-52′s.
ikki’s “We Can Fly” consorts with all the cheese we loved in the 80’s, and thank heaven for that! Without this small slice, I might have had to dismiss TCEP Vol. 5 as, uh, not electro at all – at least not in the influential, seminal sense. The disco beats and atmospheric vocals could make a Buckingham guard shake it. And a final kudos must be given to Rabidine’s “Shamblestown,” the indisputable recipient of “the coolest song to ‘roll to’ with your shades on and windows down” award. An excellent and modest song to send TCEP Vol. 5 into the sunset.
[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Disenchanted.mp3, Right click and "Save Link As",download]
“Disenchanted” by: Pop Inc
[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Nihalis-Song.mp3]
“Nihali’s Song” by: St. Anthony Falls (download free at tcelectropunk.com)
[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Echo.mp3]
“Echo” by: milkbar (download free at tcelectropunk.com)
[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/BASIC-20-Goto-10.mp3]
“BASIC 20 Goto 10″ by: The Trapezoids (download free at tcelectropunk.com)
[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/We-Can-Fly.mp3]
“We Can Fly” by: ikki (download free at tcelectropunk.com)
[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Shamblestown.mp3]
“Shamblestown” by: Rabidine (download free at tcelectropunk.com)
TC Electropunk Tracklist
1. Avenpitch – “Soon Enough”
2. Thosquanta – “Alstas”
3. St. Anthony Falls – “Nihali’s Song”
4. Pop Inc – “Disenchanted”
5. OBCT – “Rampage When You Die”
6. MSRP – “Control Freak”
7. One Two Three Dead – “My First Communion”
8. Mach FoX – “Dr. Night”
9. The Eighth – “Wasted Heartbeats”
10. milkbar – “Echo”
11. Thought Thieves – “All I Pretend (Daydodge Mix)”
12. Gabber Nullification Project – “Tickle Me Panzer”
13. ikki – “We Can Fly”
14. Circa A.M. – “The Up Aboves”
15. Trapezoids – “BASIC: 20 Goto 10″
16. Rabidine – “Shamblestown”
posted January 11th, 2010 at 10:01 pm Reviews
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