Music Box | Death From Above 1979

Mike Newmark Assistant Arts Editor

Death From Above 1979
Romance Bloody Romance
[Vice]
Rating: 1.5 stars

First thing’s first: I did not like Death From Above 1979’s dance-punk sweat bath You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. I’ll admit, however, that I disliked it for the same reason others couldn’t get enough of it: the project smacked of irony. It was hard-edged and silly at once, and drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainer and bassist/keyboardist Jesse Keeler kept the self-consciousness of punk and the free-spiritedness of dance separate enough to poke fun at both styles. You’re a Woman literally screamed “hip,” and it seemed like many of those who enjoyed it did so with their tongues in their cheeks.

While You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine was ironic, its remix album, Romance Bloody Romance, is perplexing. Why DFA1979 would commission out their 2004 debut to get the remix treatment is anybody’s guess, since they didn’t make a dent in the music scene until 2003 (when a run-in with DFA Records forced them to tack “1979” onto their moniker) and have only one album to their name. What’s more, Romance Bloody Romance grabs fans by the collar and forces them to take DFA1979 seriously, effectively alienating their audience and zapping their cheeky appeal.

For the record, You’re a Woman was more punk than dance, so it makes some sense that Romance Bloody Romance gives you mostly dancified versions of their old songs. What it doesn’t give you is a reason to listen, and the limp beats, tuneless effects and absence of hooks turn it into an exercise in big, dumb dance music that gets very old very fast. “Romantic Rights,” arguably the band’s best song, is killed in no less than four remixes, the most faithful of which—Erol Alkan’s “Love From Below Re-Edit”—doesn’t even pass muster. (Bongos? Tambourines? Are we in a freakin’ poetry lounge here?!)

“Black History Month” is also given the royal treatment with another four remixes (that’s over half the disc for two songs, if you’re counting). Josh Homme of former tourmates Queens of the Stone Age transforms the original into a flavorless post-grunge plod, and the Girl On Girl remix is a head-scratching hunk of disco cheese, overstated violins and all.

Only Alan Braxe and Fred Falke’s remix of “Black History Month” manages to come out unscathed; grimy bass, shimmering synths and Grenier’s upper-register vibrato come together surprisingly well, making for a rare disco treat. That’s still not enough to save Romance Bloody Romance from the ugly dance-punk doldrums. As subtle as a brick to the face, and just as interesting, Romance Bloody Romance will go down as one of this year’s most confusing and ill-conceived releases.

5 stars – Classic. In some countries, 5-star albums are believed to cure arthritis.
4.5 stars – Excellent. Not perfect, but darned close.
4 stars – Very Good. Solid with a small side of gripes.
3.5 stars – Good. Solid with a larger side of gripes.
3 stars – Fair. Strengths and weaknesses are about equal.
2.5 stars – Lukewarm. Won’t inspire riots, but won’t inspire anything else either.
2 stars – Pretty Bad. Don’t waste your money.
1.5 stars – Bad. Use as a drink coaster.
1 star – Beyond Awful. Don’t use as a drink coaster. Stay far, far away from it.