Basing an album, a musical expression, on a book as scary as 1984 by George Orwell, is a pretty risky endeavor. Having that album rooted in two distinct genres, industrial and dance, is also a pretty risky endeavor. A marriage of concept and execution could be very messy, but luckily in the case of Innerpartysystem's debut self-titled album, the fusion is a welcome one. The California quartet tapped a number of talented producers for their first album, people who have worked with The Killers, Bjork, Madonna, Pete Yorn, Arcade Fire, and Nine Inch Nails, to name but a few; people who have been known to expertly yield results. And do they ever!
Initial discovery
My first exposure to Innerpartysystem was their first single, "Don't Stop." My initial impression was a lack of interest. It wasn't horrible but it didn't really catch me, until I saw the hyper-reality video that so perfectly encapsulates their anti-gossip show/celebrity blog sentimentality through a series of disturbing news images, and a pair of newscasters that are, themselves, subject to a lot of disturbing images. The video captured and expressed the raw energy this band carries at the core, a tightly-wound aggression that comes spilling out of their music with wild abandon. This style carries through to their second single and the album's opener, "Die Tonight Live Forever," a track with just as much energy that waits at the precipice, threatening to pour forth and smother us all. A progressive dance beat backs up the lyrics "If we all should die tonight we will have no regrets." "This Town Your Grave" channels Nine Inch Nails with an insistent industrial beat and aggressive lyrics sung both tenderly and screamed maliciously.
Not all is doom and gloom, musically speaking. "Structure," produced by dance master Stuart Price, features breakbeat percussion and a harp-like accompaniment. Another Price-helmed track, "Obsession," is also the album's danciest number. Lyrically, the singer expresses an overwhelming urge to make the subject of his affection, his obsession, fall in love with him. The knowledge that, if they just tried, they would see how amazing you truly are, is expressed here with a slow-building dance vibe that erupts into a club stomper in the final moment of the song, beats that are familiar to any fan of Price. "What We Will Never Know" is probably the closest this rock outfit comes to a ballad on this album, the music languid and murky while expressing that "One day you will love again."
Summary
The whole album reeks of talent, and has earned Innerpartysystem a place on Billboard's Heetseekers chart, a designation they truly deserve. If any dance fan wants an excuse to move outisde their genre, this is a step you need to take.
Released September 30, 2008 on Island Records.
