Death From Above 1979 is a dance-punk duo consisting of Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler. Grainger sings and hits the sticks; Keeler plays bass. If you’ve never heard of them before now, stop reading this and go listen to their firey debut, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine right now, preferably as loud as you can.
If you are familiar, however, then you know they broke up a mere two years after the release of that debut and remained relatively quiet until 2011, when they began playing shows again. Deservedly, a whirlwind of hype surrounded these performances, as did questions of new music. And in response, DFA 1979 announced earlier this summer that a fresh record would arrive this fall.
The news felt too surreal—too good to be true—then, and it still does now. Because The Physical World, DFA 1979’s first album in 10 years, finds the duo sitting in the exact spot they abandoned. It’s almost embarrassing to admit that listening to this record makes me feel old, but their tried-and-true sound hasn’t aged well; nothing sounded like You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine when it was released, and nothing should want to sound like it now.
Most of The Physical World’s tracks, notably “Right on Frankenstein!” and “Gemini,” are ones we’ve already heard the band chug out, only this time there’s less urgency involved. And urgency, the way Keeler and Grainger got out as fast as they came in, was why this band was so alluring in the first place. Keeler’s bass has always sounded sludge-y. The Physical World, when compared to Machine, moves like sludge.
The album does, however, offer up an interesting mid-section with “Trainwreck 1979” and “White is Red.” The former is the sole enjoyable callback to everything we loved about DFA 1979, the latter an attempt to maneuver into new sonic territory. Unfortunately for us, new sonic territory doesn’t translate to good sonic territory.
Grainger has stated in interviews that the duo made The Physical World in an effort to get critics and fans off of their backs—to allow them to pursue whatever musical endeavors they’d like in the future without DFA 1979 hanging over their heads. To me, it sounds like both members are ready to ¢a$h in on their biggest brand. While they’ve certainly succeeded at mangling their reputation, they’re going to need a lot of help selling the outdated The Physical World in the digital age.
The Physical World