It’s interesting that the ‘post-rock’ label is most disliked by the members of the bands themselves…which says more about how the press and the industry like to pigeonhole things than anything I think. Perhaps this is the reason why the latest full-length from 65daysofstatic sounds like they’re trying to distance themselves from the genre; The Distant & Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties from their The Destruction of Small Ideas LP hinted at this but it wasn’t until I heard Weak4 that I realised what it really meant.
Weak4 sounds like a chaotic, desperate battle waged by 65dos’ live drummer against the insistent samples of their electronic percussion…and he seems to be winning. It’s in keeping with their industrial vibe (well, they are from around Sheffield!) but is certainly different from their earlier material. The reaction of some fans has been so far mixed; it’s still a great song to me though…and it’s not even the best that We Were Exploding Anyway has to offer.
The likes of the opener Mountainhead and the following Crash Tactics have the familiar syncopated rhythms, electronic squeals and jagged guitar riffs but there’s a more prominent reliance on the electronic instrumentation than before. Nevertheless to me, in Crash Tactics especially, it’s 65dos at their best: simply put, it absolutely destroys.
The title of Dance Dance Dance makes their altered intentions abundantly clear but the synthesised lines are a tight-fitting, integral part of the arrangements rather than mere experimentation. The tinkling intro to Piano Fights offers a quick peek at the band’s lighter side and reminds me more of their older stuff…only with less of the punky attitude of The Fall of Math and more of the varied soundscapes of their last record. It’s about as slow and instrospective as this album gets but it exemplifies how the band use dynamic changes and odd time signatures so effectively. It’s quite beautiful actually.
If it weren’t for their support slot on the Cure’s recent tour I would never have expected 65dos to collaborate with Robert Smith. The combination isn’t one that springs immediately to mind (not as surprising perhaps as Elton John playing piano on the title track to Alice in Chains’ Black Gives Way to Blue, mind) but nevertheless, it works and works wonderfully. Come To Me is an expansive and tantalising eight minutes in length, building up gradually for the first two before Smith’s sampled vocals loop hypnotically and the full extent of the arrangement unfolds.
Go Complex also features vocals of some sort but they’re so heavily processed they sound robotic; the looped percussion and synthesisers that they usher in immediately make me think of the Prodigy. Then there’s an abrupt change of direction with the traditional guitar/bass/drums mayhem and back again to the robotic chanting. This is I think 65dos playing with us; and of course playing with the expectations because it’s a daring mix of their new approach and the old.
Debutante begins with a swooning atmospheric soundscape but the ‘live’ drumming isn’t the driving force: for the most part it punctuates a synthesised beat with jangles of guitars providing accompaniment to a haunting vocal harmony. There’s a subtle changeover in role between the live instruments and synths; one doesn’t take back seat to the other but there’s still a noticeable sense of their prominence being reversed since the band’s first album.
That changeover is the overall impression I have of We Were Exploding Anyway. Supercar raised a few eyebrows when they went more electronic and Depeche Mode caused an even bigger stir when they went in the opposite direction with Songs of Faith and Devotion. This is a divisive album in terms of what fans expect from them, but I think 65dos were right in going that way when it’s done as competently as it is here. Even the post-rock thing is getting to be a bit of a burdensome label after all and besides, such simplistic categorisation does the blend of instruments and techniques used by 65dos an injustice.
It’s sad to hear that some are disappointed at this new direction but as the joyous, loved-up throb of Tiger Girl brings the record to a close I have to say it’s a refreshing change of pace and even as someone who doesn’t normally dig dance music, I love it. I think they wanted to challenge critics and fans alike and ultimately we, the listeners, need to remember that they’re the artists. It’s 65daysofstatic’s party, but we’re all invited.
Track listing
- Mountainhead
- Crash Tactics
- Dance Dance Dance
- Piano Fights
- Weak4
- Come To Me
- Go Complex
- Debutante
- Tiger Girl
