My Dear Disco 'Dancethink LP'

It sure is wonderful that we have the past in music to inspire our future. Without such musical staples as disco, new wave, and alternative rock, My Dear Disco would have had no solid foundation for their gorgeous sound. The band is comprised of members Play, Stop, Eject, Rewind, Fast-Forward, Pause, and Record. They have actual names but those are far more fun. The septet hails from Michigan.

Dancethink LP opens with the 7 minute dancefloor wonder "White Lies," Stop (the female vocalist) belting powerfully and gorgeously over carefully constructed beats and melodies before breaking down and sharing some serious time with her male vocal counterpart during the bridge, which lasts at least a minute until the end of the song. Following that track has to be tough, unless you're My Dear Disco (MDD) and have buckets of talent oozing out of your ears. "For Your Love" begins with 8-bit nostalgia before breaking down into proper funky disco, a "bop-along" feel emanating from the guitars, drums, and synthesizer before Stop croons her way *back* into your heart (did she leave after "White Lies"?). MDD did an interesting atmospheric/80s-ish track and named it, interestingly, "My Dear Disco." It is minimal, manipulating Stop's vocals in shakes and stutters. A dark and grimy track, very good.

Funky and alternative, "All I Do" is a sweet and catchy torch song with a great dance-y edge and serious pop chops. MDD employs a drum and bass, breakbeat sound for the hyper-real "Amsterdam." It is fast-paced and the vocalists only edge along the tension with lyrics about running and love and violence. The true masterpiece, and this may be only in my mind, is "The Way." It is heavy, dark, brooding, and angry. "The Way" has both a male and a female character, both at a club. We hear them "talk" to one another, the male very interested in getting the female to go home with him but she's having none of it. The bass riff sounds very "spy movie" and the percussion adds to the idea that this is a delicate mission.

MDD slow it down for "Madam Eon (Part 1)." A slow and seductive beat akin to smooth jazz accompanies a simple plucking bass and Stop's hypnotizing voice. Very chill, minimalistic, and downtempo, "Madam Eon (Part 1)" shows us yet again that MDD has too much talent, and I am very thankful. The tempo and mood picks up in the continuation track, "Madam Eon (Part 2)," also very good but a lot busier. Dancethink comes to a close with the disco funky "M.Y.F."- which stands for Move Your Feet. Electro wiggles and beeps flitter along with the track until it descends in uber-catchy chorus-mode, deep and synthy. A great way to finish any album is a party track, thanks MDD!