Rapture captures dance-punk fun
The Rapture's new album features quicker, more playful sounds.
Published Sept. 8, 2006
I want a house.
If I had a house I'd be able to throw parties whenever I wanted. At said parties, I'd get to control the "party music." I'd wave goodbye to Black Eyed Peas and Shakira, and instead, I'd play The Rapture. People would geek out. They'd love me, or at least they'd love The Rapture, which would be cool, too, because Pieces of the People We Love is one of the finest albums of the year.
Those who already loved The Rapture would recognize an evolved band. They would remember Matt Safer's fat, propulsive bass lines and Vito Roccoforte's breakneck drumming. They'd remember Luke Jenner's shrill vocals, and of course, they would remember that cowbell. But things have changed around the Rapture camp.
It's obvious just by looking at Pieces' cover art. The art for the band's previous full-length, Echoes, was brooding, pretentious and, let's face it, cheesy. The cover here is bright, inviting and playful. Ditto for the video for this album's single, "Get Myself into It," which is a cheeky roller-rink narrative. They're taking themselves less seriously and having more fun. But The Rapture hasn't lost its attitude; the band has just toned down and channeled it on Pieces.
This has ultimately changed The Rapture for the better. Intended or not, these songs are exceedingly more accessible than anything found on Echoes. Only one song on Pieces passes the five-minute mark (compared to Echoes' four), and gone are the plodding ballads that killed Echoes' momentum. Don't get me wrong, those ballads are great songs, but The Rapture is maybe the best dance-punk band.
Also gone from Pieces are thick, syrupy synth- and keyboard-dominated tracks like "Olio" and "I Need Your Love." Rather than keyboard or studio effects suffocating the tracks, the songs on Pieces are almost strictly percussion, guitar and bass driven.
At the party, I would pop in Pieces and the opener "Don Gon Do It" would flood the room. The bass line would rattle the house, and the laser-tag synths would turn heads. By the time the first hook hit, listeners would be bobbing their heads.
"Get Myself into It" has Jenner's vocals way up in the mix. His shriek is now tempered to what can almost be described as singing. Just Safer's bass, snare thwacks and almost unnoticeable guitar stabs back the first verse. A saxophone scoots along the chorus. "Oh shit," the party people would think.
What follows is maybe the best three successive songs on the album. "First Gear" works itself into coked-up '80s heaven, "The Devil" is all tormented screams and gasping and "Whoo! Alright — Yeah... Uh Huh" is a wallflower-baiting sprint that ends up sounding like the demon lovechild of The Go! Team and Talking Heads.
The rest of the album is a logical comedown from those first six songs. The Rapture doesn't want you to die from exhaustion.
What The Rapture has achieved with Pieces of the People We Love will probably infuriate a whole mess of people. They can't do it without their previous producers DFA, some will say. They'll pine for the soundscapes and dark disco of Echoes past. They'll turn their backs on this record. But that's their loss and our gain because Pieces is still a great dance album. The fact that The Rapture did a near 180 justifies them as innovators in a field of imitators.
So pick up Pieces (pun intended) and throw yourself a party. Invite all of your friends and their friends, too. Play Pieces. Exhale. You don't even have to say that I told you to.
Artist: The Rapture
Album: Pieces of the People We Love
Genre: Dance-punk
Record Label: Motown
Release Date: Sept. 12
Most Listenworthy Track: 'The Devil'
Reviewer's Rating: 4 out of 5 Ms