Out Hud - Let Us Never Speak of it Again (Kranky)
Over 25 years later, disco still sucks, and unfortunately Out Hud is moving more in that direction. Their sophomore album, Let Us Never Speak of it Again, is all dance music. The PiL post-punk and Meters funk influences that colored their first album and three singles have been removed, or at least greatly toned down, leaving just dance music - intricate dance music that works well as headphone music but dance music nonetheless.
The "girls" (Molly Schinct and "drum machine" Phyllis Forbes) are singing now, and while they lack confidence and strain to make notes, their just-under-the-music style adds another layer and works well in the house music context the songs are often framed in. There's a part at the end of "Old Nude" when they start chanting "that's how he get what he wants" which gives the song a great hook, something that would be much harder to achieve with an instrument.
Unadulterated dance music is somewhat of a new direction for the band, and they make the change confidently. "How Long" incorporates several dramatic changes in a 5 minute pop song. After string-sounding synths open the song give way to drum machine hand clapping and sing-songy vocals. Ping-ponging high pitched notes lead the transition to a humming bass-synth groove which carries the song. Some of the vocals are processed and mixed in, creating another layer of percussion to the song.
Several of the instrumental songs show the band's post-rock influence (more Trans Am than Tortoise) hasn't been as watered down as the post-punk and funk influences. "Dear Mr. Bush, There Are Over 100 Words for Shit and Only One for Music. Fuck You, Out Hud" uses a driving beat to carry it through 11 minutes and seems to change the groove with each of those minutes. First it's a very 80s sounding, digital keyboard riff, then the keyboard notes are cut up karate chop riffs, then the bass carries the song with a very gutteral sound, then the synths create a very gradual build against the same quick beat... there's just a bunch of transitions and a lot going on.
While the production creates a few interesting tones, overall the sound is much too clean. The band recorded this material in the Spring of 2003 (before S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. was even released) and Justin Vandervolgen spent 18 monthes mixing it. Almost all of the noise and rough edges that made their earlier recordings textured and interesting have been filtered out and rounded off. Maybe the Moroder-esque cleanness will broaden their appeal, but to me, its coldness detracts, at best counterbalancing the added warmth from the female vocals.
No doubt this album will be popular. It fits beside Scissor Sisters just as well as it fits beside Four Tet and M83. However, for those who liked Out Hud more for their link to This Heat than their link to Basement Jaxx, it stands as a small disappointment.
