Does it Offend You, Yeah?
You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into

Rating: 3/5
Tracks to download: “Let’s Make Out,” “Battle Royale,” “Dawn of the Dead”
For fans of: Hot Chip, Crystal Castles

I’m sure I was ignorant of it because it’s been around for years, but when did trip-hop/dance punk get so huge?

It seems as if overnight, Justice, Hot Chip and the like have taken the airwaves and my friends’ iPods by storm, and I’m not complaining. An art prom full of the Faint, Crystal Castles and Junior Senior is exactly what I’d ask for in lieu of overplayed hip-hop. So when I first put in the new album by Does It Offend You, Yeah? I was excited; it seems Europe knows what I like best when it comes to dancing. Unfortunately, they fell flat with this one.

Not to say the album isn’t good: it is. The problem is that’s about all it is.

It doesn’t shine. It isn’t memorable in any way. If anything, it makes me want to listen to some great dance-punk by another band. The opening track, “Battle Royale,” is one of the best songs on the album, starting off sparse, slowly layers and then loops new pieces together. It grows into a full-fledged dance track at about one minute in.

This song showcases the band’s best abilities, which do not include lyric writing or singing. In fact, the worst parts of most songs are the lyrics. Sure, “Let’s Make Out” is funny, but how many times can you hear that three-word phrase before it’s old? Hint: about four. Ask any semi-attractive blonde at a frat party.

The band doesn’t have the same quirky lyrics or driving instrumentation that could make it as big as other groups from whom they’re trying to steal the spotlight.

This isn’t to say it’s not worth a listen. It’s definitely worth a place on your party mix, and here’s why: Everyone loves “D.A.N.C.E.” and “Ready For the Floor” and “Alice Practice,” but you can only maintain such high energy at a party for so long. Once a lull hits, you don’t want to slip in something which will totally negate the last 15 minutes. Does It Offend You, Yeah? to the rescue! This gives everyone some time to catch their breath, refill their drinks and inadvertently break something you thought you had put away. Then, when “Glass Danse” comes on, the party can continue.

I know what you’re saying: “I have ’80s music for that.” Which is true, and, oddly, also why ’80s dance music has been allowed to continue unchecked for 18 years. Does It Offend You, Yeah? has thought this through and has combated the issue with “Dawn of the Dead.” This track sounds like it was ripped straight from the drum machine synth-rific dance decade. So now you have no excuse.

So does it offend me? Nope. It doesn’t elicit anywhere near a strong enough emotion for offense. The closest it gets is bemusement.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Cadenza. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.