Another week, another Australian electronic music album: Midnight
Juggernauts' Dystopia further embraces the bands movement towards
dance and comes hot on the heels of a series of great albums from down
under.
Opening with a dark instrumental the conjures images of deep space
Dystopia soon reveals its true colours with the crackling electronic
rock of 'Ending of an Era': live drums back up thudding synths whilst
falsetto vocals carry a sun-tinged chorus.
And there it is. Dystopia falls perfectly on the divide between rock
and dance music. It's more rock than Justice, more dance than LCD
Soundsystem and Dystopia sounds like Midnight Juggernauts re-wrote
Digitalism's 'Pogo' 13 times. Yet by adding an additional layer of
melody it is still their own.
So one minute 'Into the Galaxy' is punky Talking Heads-esque verses,
the next a chorus spins things off in a rocket ride of melody. If all
this sounds good for the head but lacking much for the body then check
'Road to Recovery': when the synths kick in things sound defiantly
determined to make you move.
Dystopia is a record that is great just because it sounds so fresh.
Justice may make dance music influenced by rock but this is rock music
made using dance techniques and it shines. When the shimmering synths
of 'Twenty Thousand Leagues' break through the downbeat verse the song
structure follows the rock coventions of old: it's a Pixies quiet LOUD
quiet formula but applied to dance it sounds irrepresively fresh.
Three great Australian albums in less than three months? Something
must be in the water. Whatever... BlackPlastic isn't one to question.
Time to sit back and enjoy another electronic music renaissance.
BP x