DEATH IN VEGAS
Imagine a cross between Bauhaus and Japan. That’s exactly what Dalis Car’s album (The Waking Hour) sounds like. After Japan split, Mick Karn (bassist, keyboardist, guitarist and saxophonist) teamed up with Peter Murphy (the Bauhaus vocalist). Add some Art Of Noise rhythms, and that’s basically the sound of Dalis Car. As you would expect, The Waking Hour is very dark and mournful. There were no further Dalis Car albums, although there was a work in progress at the time of Mick Karn’s death last year. The completed material was released as an EP. Peter Murphy’s solo career has continued for over a quarter of a century.
Daft Punk showed great promise, on the debut album (Homework). Having made several remixes, the French duo created an album which expertly blended various genres (house, hip-hop, big-beat, funk, disco, etc). Daft Punk became an international dance sensation. The follow-up album took four years to materialise. Discovery retained the disco and funk elements, combining these with pop. It is light and euphoric. It was also hugely successful – even though some of the original fans didn’t like it. Listening to it now (a decade later) I find the vocoders very irritating. Vocoders were used on ALL of the vocals. It’s a bit much.
Human After All is an utterly dreadful album, completely devoid of merit. Following that atrocity, Musique Vol. 1 was released. The title implies there will be more Daft Punk albums. It’s probably just wishful thinking, on the part of the band. There have been no Daft Punk albums for over seven years (although a live compilation was released in 2007). The duo spent two years composing the soundtrack for Tron: Legacy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6Y_jErC9c&feature=related
Death In Vegas released Dead Elvis in 1997 (Dead Elvis was the first choice for the name of the band, but legalities prevented it). Dead Elvis is essentially a dance album. It was moderately successful. The Contino Sessions was a step forward (following the departure of Steve Hellier and the addition of Tim Holmes). Inspired by Screamadelica, the intention was to create a dance-rock hybrid with a psychedelic feel (it even includes Primal Scream samples and a vocal performance from Bobby Gillespie). It is the best Death In Vegas album. Scorpio Rising (the third offering) is also good. It has a similar sound, but it is more like The Chemical Brothers in psychedelic mode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzRatoOAxiM&feature=related
During the recording of Scorpio Rising, Death In Vegas became involved with a bad crowd: Oasis. I do quite like the title track (sung by Liam Gallagher). However, when Death In Vegas tried producing the next Oasis album, it didn’t work out. Apparently suffering from a loss of confidence, the duo produced the fourth Death In Vegas album. Satan’s Circus is pretty dire, for the most part. It sounds like a collection of offcuts and half-baked ideas. Milk It (the singles collection) was released the following year. The limited edition includes a bonus CD, full of remixes (by Dave Clarke and Two Lone Swordsmen, among others). After a long hiatus, the fifth Death In Vegas album (Trans-love Energies) was released. It is not a bad comeback, but the first three albums are better.
I like what I’ve heard of Deftones, but I only have the compilation B-sides & Rarities. It includes cover versions of songs by Cocteau Twins, The Cure, The Smiths and Duran Duran. Deftones released six albums between 1995 and 2010. I have only heard a couple of them, so I cannot really write much more about this alternative rock band. I think it’s worth investigating Deftones properly though. The last album (Diamond Eyes) was critically acclaimed and debuted at number six in the US Billboard chart.
Delphic’s debut album (Acolyte) was released in 2010. There is a strong (peak-period) New Order influence in this Mancunian trio’s music. It is joyous dance-pop. Doubt, the most popular single, is the best evidence. The whole album is good though. The songs are bright, melodic and mostly fast-paced. Other highlights include Counterpoint, Submission and the epic title track. Let’s hope Delphic keeps the momentum going on the next album. This is a band with great potential. If you like this sort of music, you may also enjoy Grand National and Semifinalists (although their takes on dance-pop are generally more melancholic).
Further listening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyLBi9CupEw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GoiIESRcgk
Next: The Cure
Listened to your (& my) first Daft Punk, and I enjoyed it.
What with the recent gay zombie attack in Miami (he got on top of the guy after taking off both their pants – while attempting a brain feast), I also had to check out Mothership Reconnection.
Another source recently referred me to Grand National – I must check them out.
Later alligator.