Greg Dona
08/10/06, 03:42 PM
Don’t try to deny it – we all saw this coming. Every day more indie fans convert to electronic music lovers, usually through introduction to artists such as the monumental Daft Punk. As many artists are in fact fans of their own genres, why would they not be inclined to produce the music they love? Even in the emo scene groups such as Brandtson; Men, Women, and Children; and early Head Automatica kicked out dance vibes left and right. And Death From Above 1979 represented an ultimate indie crew. Remixes of their You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine on Romance Bloody Romance hinted at a dormant desire to shake out a few upbeat jams. The breakup of DFA79 sealed the deal; bassist Jesse Keeler’s MSTRKRFT would certainly be the next indie dance act.
It seems Keeler abandoned nearly everything so dear to him and band mate Sebastien Grangier from the Death From Above days for MSTRKRFT’s debut album The Looks. The abrasively masculine and intimidating growls gave way to voice encoder lines. This is acceptable for such an electronically based record, but even here the outright redundancy of Keeler’s lyrics wear listeners down. One can only hear “make your body work” so many times before testing the next track button on whatever musical device brings them their noise of choice. Drum machines rather than true drums lay out intriguing rhythmic guidelines for each of the tracks. Generally songs begin with the utmost simplicity before adopting a more developed beat.
In Keeler MSTRKRFT brings to the table a veteran musician with an astounding amount of experience and uniqueness to instill upon the act. However, his work from neither Femme Fatale nor Death From Above 1979 manages to relevantly infiltrate The Looks. Although the disc is hardly long enough to allow for a wandering attention or warrant a loss of interest, a spice every now and again would do wonders for its playability. Instead of providing said shock with a crunchy, rare bass line or aggressive vocal attack, Keeler allows his talents to remain in hibernation for the time being. Many claim Mylo to being a possible heir to Daft Punk’s throne. While perhaps Myles MacInnes is striving to be the next Daft Punk, it seems MSTRKRFT tries to be the one and only Daft Punk. Whereas Mylo brings a twist and funk of their own about their music, Keeler and Al-P just play straight from the dance-rock textbook.
Of course when you’re dealing with anyone as skilled as Jesse has proved to be the result will end favorably, but unfortunately it does not always live up to its full potential. The Looks may be a fun, invigorating record, but MSTRKRFT can do infinitely better. With the departure of DFA79 from the picture, perhaps Keeler will be able to focus his energies more intently on the next go round to shell out some truly remarkable work.
It seems Keeler abandoned nearly everything so dear to him and band mate Sebastien Grangier from the Death From Above days for MSTRKRFT’s debut album The Looks. The abrasively masculine and intimidating growls gave way to voice encoder lines. This is acceptable for such an electronically based record, but even here the outright redundancy of Keeler’s lyrics wear listeners down. One can only hear “make your body work” so many times before testing the next track button on whatever musical device brings them their noise of choice. Drum machines rather than true drums lay out intriguing rhythmic guidelines for each of the tracks. Generally songs begin with the utmost simplicity before adopting a more developed beat.
In Keeler MSTRKRFT brings to the table a veteran musician with an astounding amount of experience and uniqueness to instill upon the act. However, his work from neither Femme Fatale nor Death From Above 1979 manages to relevantly infiltrate The Looks. Although the disc is hardly long enough to allow for a wandering attention or warrant a loss of interest, a spice every now and again would do wonders for its playability. Instead of providing said shock with a crunchy, rare bass line or aggressive vocal attack, Keeler allows his talents to remain in hibernation for the time being. Many claim Mylo to being a possible heir to Daft Punk’s throne. While perhaps Myles MacInnes is striving to be the next Daft Punk, it seems MSTRKRFT tries to be the one and only Daft Punk. Whereas Mylo brings a twist and funk of their own about their music, Keeler and Al-P just play straight from the dance-rock textbook.
Of course when you’re dealing with anyone as skilled as Jesse has proved to be the result will end favorably, but unfortunately it does not always live up to its full potential. The Looks may be a fun, invigorating record, but MSTRKRFT can do infinitely better. With the departure of DFA79 from the picture, perhaps Keeler will be able to focus his energies more intently on the next go round to shell out some truly remarkable work.