Saint Dymphna
Whereas distant cousins Tussle and Yeasayer are all about rhythm, ambience, and ethnic textures, driven by percussion of all stripes, Gang Gang Dance take the same foundation and jack it up with more of everything. Their fourth full-length release in as many years, *Saint Dymphna* serves up more of the vibrant and inventive sounds their fans have come to love, but keeps a tighter focus on the mix resulting in a more polished, cohesive collection. The flowing, infectious “House Jam,” the bubbly, Eastern-inspired “First Communion,” and fast-moving, grime-y “Princes,” featuring London’s Tinchy Stryder, are real standouts, the latter a pastiche of synthetic whooshes, beats and thuds, clattering drums, and twinkling piano. GGD vocalist Liz Bougatsos’ waifish, ethereal wails are woven in the background, giving the track an especially eclectic and full-bodied feel. Instrumentals range from the experimental sound cut-up of “Inner Pace” to the languorously busy “Dust,” to the beautiful and seductive “Vacuum.” Throughout *Saint Dymphna*, the spirits of musical genres as diverse as Krautrock, dubstep, grime, acid house, reggaeton, hip-hop, and trip-hop permeate and integrate, creating a visceral blend of something that’s very good for the soul. Why can’t we all just get along?
So clear and shiny it makes the taut and focused God's Money seem murky by comparison, this is Gang Gang Dance's long-simmering version of a pop album-- though it still preserves their core of new-wave synths, tribal beats, otherworldly singing, and Residents-style loops.
This time out, Gang Gang Dance really means "dance." The experimental group has gotten down before, but those arty rhythms and percussive thumps often drifted into ethereal atmospherics, taking the vibe with them. With newfound focus, the band keeps the motion going on Saint Dymphna, to the point where tracks such as…
Long-time darlings of New York\'s underground music scene, Gang Gang Dance look braced to make a wider breakthrough with their new album - a heady mish-mash of post-rock and electro, punk and dance. James Dalrymple is thrilled and a little bit scared by…
Brooklyn's Gang Gang Dance is an excellent example of the vibrancy found in the loosely knit underground musical community in New York.
For all its creativity, however, Saint Dymphna does little justice to Gang Gang Dance’s oft-raved-about live shows.
On 7/7/07 The Boredoms set up 77 Boadrum, a massive drum circle in a tiny park just below the Brooklyn Bridge.