September 26, 2008

Levitation,Mind Control,Spells,and Street Beats: The Return of Gang Gang Dance


I skeezed a copy of this by way of Soulseek,
but I will surely be purchasing the LP in October.I advise you to do the same.It's well worth the cash!


GANG GANG DANCE
SAINT DYMPHNA

The Social Registry
/Warp Records

Release Date: October 21,2008




Tsr050 Named after the patron saint of outsiders, taboo subject matter and general disorder, Gang Gang Dance have completed Saint Dymphna - a stunning follow-up to the critically acclaimed God's Money. The album is set for release Oct 21, 2008 on The Social Registry. Finally! After three years of complex and sporadic recording, complete with jetsetting, breakdowns, an acclaimed Whitney Biennial appearance, plus the Retina Riddim DVD+CD and RAWWAR EP, the band have yielded a true masterpiece to add to its canon. We couldn't be happier to throw this one out and let the world become enamored again.



If you've seen a Gang Gang Dance show since 2005, you know that Lizzi Bougatsos, Brian Degraw, Tim Dewit and Josh Diamond have taken an even dancier, inclusive direction that continues to emphasize the ritualistic elements of their music while upping the transcendent aspects. This is apparent (times ten) on Saint Dymphna. The record opens with "Bebey" - a preview of coming attractions that is like an organic, eastern Aphex Twin with spinning percussion, face-fuzz ambient textures and oral rebirth. The track melts into "First Communion," which is a great representation of the new, more-accessible-than-ever version of the band. After a dreamy introduction, the unit pummels in with a truly global punch - we're talking Brazilian guitars, punk snarl on the vocals and a beat that resembles the omnipresent sound of reggaeton flooding the NYC streets during summer months.



"Blue Nile" touches on 80s techno, trip-hop, interstellar travel and Hot 97 R&B without really sounding like any of those things. "Princes" is the real shocker of the bunch. The first appearance of London-based MC Tinchy Stryder and his "Oh shit! Gang Gang!" toast will cause more than a few moments of "Did I accidentally switch records?" before the conclusion that this stuff is smashing apart genre conventions in a way that few bands have been willing to experiment with. The song plays like the weirdest Grime track (or the weirdest Gang Gang Dance track for that matter) you've ever heard. Either way, it re-emphasizes the group's club potential, experimental success and beyond all, true understanding of good music no matter what label critics decide to obsess over on a given day.



Like God's Money, Saint Dymphna is envisioned as a LP experience, although each track is more than strong enough to stand alone. The production is pristine cinematic headphone candy with 70's Eno intricacy and 00's Timbaland immediacy that will firmly hold your attention while Gang Gang Dance continue to push things forward. The album will be preceded by the single "House Jam" that is backed with a remix of the track by Hot Chip, and accompanied by a free digital download of a remix by XXXChange. Highly recommended and well worth the wait!


-djouls

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