Mesopotamia
The B-52's
Warner Bros. MINI 3641
1982
I was at a Key Losers show in January and at the end of the set, Katy Davidson plugged her Ipod into her amplifier and started blasting "Mesopotamia" while dancing and singing along with it. That was a lot of fun. I hadn't heard the song in many years and had forgotten how good it was. I don't really listen to any of my B-52's albums much any more, but there was a time when they were one of my favorite bands. When I was at Cal, you couldn't go to a party without hearing them at some point on the stereo. There was even an elaborately stupid dance that was created for "Rock Lobster." They always were a great dance band, but I mostly dug them for their twangy guitar sound, vocal harmonies and sense of humor. I don't recall anyone ever playing this album at a party though and I even remember some of my acquaintances complaining about it. I never understood that because I thought it was wonderful, as good as anything they had ever done. It was produced by David Byrne and reportedly the band clashed with him over the direction of the album which is why it is a mini-album rather than a full length. Despite the friction, I think the collaboration is a big success, the surf/retro dance music of the group is augmented by an emphasis on percussion and funkiness with stunning results. The driving beat of "Loveland" with its powerful rhythm section anchoring Cindy Wilson's soaring vocal gets me hopping. "Deep Sleep" goes exotica even featuring a sample from Martin Denny. Kate Pierson delivers the dreamy lyrics over a hypnotic beat. Side one ends with the title track where Fred Schneider finally makes his appearance at the mike. It is classic B-52's with its hilarious lyrics, Schneider's mannered vocal supported by some creative background singing from Pierson and Wilson, and a relentless dance groove. One of my all time favorite B-52's songs. Side two starts with "Cake," another classic. The ladies lasciviously croon about making cakes while the horns and rhythm section deliver another funky foundation for their verbal hijinks. It is great fun and more than a little sexy. "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can" is about an irresistible beat that is driving Schneider crazy. I can see why as the music backs him up with another powerful dance groove driven by some great bass riffs. I just can't sit still while it is playing. The album ends all too soon with Cindy Wilson belting out "Nip It In the Bud" over more kinetic funk. It is another hyper-propulsive song that gets me twitching and shaking like I'm having a seizure. It is really a shame that this project was cut short. Judging from the six outstanding songs it produced, it had the potential to be the best B-52's album ever. Despite it's brevity it is among my favorites of all their albums. Recommended to people whose favorite Talking Heads album is "Remain In Light."
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Domino E92441
2004
When I became obsessed with Belle and Sebastian back in the late 1990s I started following the Scottish pop scene. I discovered a lot of really good bands that way. That was how I first heard of Franz Ferdinand. They didn't sound all that interesting to me, but I filed them away in my brain as a topic for future investigation. Then before I knew it, they broke big in the United States rapidly becoming the biggest Scottish band over here much to my surprise. "Take Me Out" was all over the airwaves and I saw videos of these sharp-dressed pretty boys playing their dance pop and dismissed them as the Duran Duran of the 2000s. I had some female friends who were really into them and they would come back from shows raving about them but I wasn't convinced. Then I came across a sealed vinyl copy of their debut album in a thrift store and decided to pick it up for a spin and realized that they were better than I thought. This album may be a bit lightweight and derivative, but it is never dull and it gets me hopping. A lot of it is insanely catchy dance pop, like the two hits "Take Me Out" and "This Fire" as well as "The Dark of the Matinee" which has an enticing theatrical feeling to it and some of the most sophisticated lyrics on the record. "Auf Achse," "Darts of Pleasure," "Michael" and "Come on Home" are also designed for the dance floor and really deliver the goods. There is a 1980s flavor to these songs but they are mostly guitar driven rather than synth driven much to my approval. You can also hear art rock-ish elements suggestive of Roxy Music or David Bowie particularly in Alex Kapranos' mannered vocals. The big hooky bass lines and spiky rhythm guitar recall the New Wave funk of Talking Heads or Gang of Four. Some songs deviate from the formula. My favorite song is "Jacqueline" which starts slow like a cabaret song and then the pounding bass kicks in soon joined by a killer guitar riff and an exciting nouveau-garage style song ensues that sounds like the Strokes only better. The riff-happy "Cheating on You" is another first rate rocker that really gets me going. "Tell Her Tonight" sounds like 80s punk-funk in the verses but goes 1960s in the chorus, I find the shifting textures and driving beat very compelling. Almost all the songs deal with romance aside from "40'" which is about a diver contemplating the water below him and features some of my favorite guitar work on the record. As far as intelligent dance pop goes, this album is a real winner. It is relentless in its drive and compulsive beat, I can't sit still when it is playing, but it also has clever lyrics and musical variety. I find a lot of dance pop to be either inane or monotonous, okay for a club or party, but not for listening. In contrast Franz Ferdinand appreciate traditional pop values and write well-crafted songs. I give them extra points as well for their use of Russian Constructivism in their design graphics. Recommended for smart kids who like to dance.
