Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna

Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
(CD/2xLP/MP3 Download) Warp Records WARPCD171, 2008-10-20
Info :
New York City's avant-rock lineage is long and storied. From Suicide to Liquid Liquid, Sonic Youth and Animal Collective, the city has incubated generations of unflinching musical eccentrics. In 2008's Big Apple, no one is flying their chimerical flag higher than Gang Gang Dance. Channeling multiple eras of electronic music and currents of international mysticism and weaving them into their evolving tapestry of transcendent percussion and ethereal pop inclinations, they've created Saint Dymphna. Brought to the UK, Europe & Australia by Warp, the album holds a wildly inclusive musical vision that collects everything from slippery, polyrhythmic sing-a-longs ('House Jam') to discombobulated prog-rock and Gamelan-esque Grime ('Princes' featuring Tinchy Stryder). The first full-length to follow their 2006 opus God's Money, this new album looks to be their hotly-anticipated leap out of the underground.
Tracklisting :
01. Bebey (4.53)
02. First Communion (3.05)
03. Blue Nile (3.10)
04. Vacuum (4.13)
05. Princes (feat. Tinchey Strider) (4.26)
06. Inners Pace (4.16)
07. Afoot (3.25)
08. House Jam (4.45)
09. Interlude (No Known Home) (1.16)
10. Desert Storm (5.10)
11. Dust (5.30)
Links :
ganggangdance.com
myspace.com/ganggangdance
warprecords.com
thesocialregistry.com
bleep.com
warpmart.com
Press Release :
Gang Gang Dance set to release Saint Dymphna October 21st || Announce East Coast Shows
Tsr050 Named after the patron saint of outsiders, taboo subject matter and general disorder, Gang Gang Dance have completed Saint Dymphna - a stunning follow-up to the critically acclaimed God's Money. The album is set for release Oct 21, 2008 on The Social Registry. Finally! After three years of complex and sporadic recording, complete with jetsetting, breakdowns, an acclaimed Whitney Biennial appearance, plus the Retina Riddim DVD+CD and RAWWAR EP, the band have yielded a true masterpiece to add to its canon. We couldn't be happier to throw this one out and let the world become enamored again.
If you've seen a Gang Gang Dance show since 2005, you know that Lizzi Bougatsos, Brian Degraw, Tim Dewit and Josh Diamond have taken an even dancier, inclusive direction that continues to emphasize the ritualistic elements of their music while upping the transcendent aspects. This is apparent (times ten) on Saint Dymphna. The record opens with "Bebey" - a preview of coming attractions that is like an organic, eastern Aphex Twin with spinning percussion, face-fuzz ambient textures and oral rebirth. The track melts into "First Communion," which is a great representation of the new, more-accessible-than-ever version of the band. After a dreamy introduction, the unit pummels in with a truly global punch - we're talking Brazilian guitars, punk snarl on the vocals and a beat that resembles the omnipresent sound of reggaeton flooding the NYC streets during summer months.
"Blue Nile" touches on 80s techno, trip-hop, interstellar travel and Hot 97 R&B without really sounding like any of those things. "Princes" is the real shocker of the bunch. The first appearance of London-based MC Tinchy Stryder and his "Oh shit! Gang Gang!" toast will cause more than a few moments of "Did I accidentally switch records?" before the conclusion that this stuff is smashing apart genre conventions in a way that few bands have been willing to experiment with. The song plays like the weirdest Grime track (or the weirdest Gang Gang Dance track for that matter) you've ever heard. Either way, it re-emphasizes the group's club potential, experimental success and beyond all, true understanding of good music no matter what label critics decide to obsess over on a given day.
Like God's Money, Saint Dymphna is envisioned as a LP experience, although each track is more than strong enough to stand alone. The production is pristine cinematic headphone candy with 70s Eno intricacy and 00s Timbaland immediacy that will firmly hold your attention while Gang Gang Dance continue to push things forward. The album will be preceded by the single "House Jam" that is backed with a remix of the track by Hot Chip, and accompanied by a free digital download of a remix by XXXChange. Highly recommended and well worth the wait!