Published on May 26, 2000
People tend not to like it when I make comparisons of one group
to another of the past. Well, bear with me on this one, ’cause it
will be worth it.
Imagine, for a moment, KC & The Sunshine Band. (Oh, stop
whimpering; they weren’t
that bad.) Now imagine that Trent Reznor was part of the
group… and the lead singer was Alanis Morissette.
Adrenalin overload, right? Welcome to the world of Jam Pain
Society, whose independent disc
Disco 13 invokes all of these memories in a disc that takes
a little time to get used to, but turns out to be well worth the
effort in the end… with one exception, but we’ll get to that
later in the review.
This quintet from North Carolina reminds me a lot of the
Australian band Cyclefly in their electronic leanings, but they
also lay down a groove that could easily have been lifted from any
disco record from the ’70s. But what’s interesting is that the way
they attack the music makes it seem not so much campy, but quite
innovative. I mean, I
hate disco music, but I like this CD. ‘Nuff said.
Vocalist Leah Kirby provides the first dose of musical attitude
that
Disco 13 smacks you in the face with. There’s almost a
punk-like sneer in some of her vocals, such as on “C’mon Get Heavy”
or “Dayglow” — but that makes her work all the more charming.
Backing vocalist Jed Fisher and guitarist/vocalist Chris Hill add
to the mayhem on tracks like “World War 44” and “Medicine.”
Musically, Jam Pain Society is solid as well. Hill’s guitar work
is quite good, and the rhythm section of bassist Tony Miller and
drummer Nick Campbell helps to solidify the groove. DOn’t be
surprised to find yourself going back to tracks like “WAD” or
“Nervous”. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself going
back to 10 of this disc’s 11 tracks.
Ah, the 11th track. The 11th, unlisted track, “Not Invited To
The Block Party.” Not so much a song as snippets of music
interspersed with answering machine messages, most of which are
begging the band to turn it down. I don’t mind cutesy things thrown
on the end of an album most of the time, but this track just goes
on, and on… and on, far past its welcome. I hate this track — I
mean, if I knew a way to obliterate it from my copy of this disc, I
would.
If it weren’t for this one indiscretion (and, sorry, gang, but
it’s a big one),
Disco 13 would be a much better album. As it stands, Jam
Pain Society have done an admirable job, even if it will knock you
for a loop at the start. Once you’ve restored your breathing rate
to normal, you’ll find that
Disco 13 is a good disc to boogie down, groove, or even mosh
to. And you won’t even have to polish up your big, old, ugly
medallions or dust off that lime green leisure suit.