FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Gang Gang Dance, “Eye Contact”

Gang Gang Dance
Eye Contact
4AD
Release Date: May 10, 2011

Tracklist:

01. Glass Jar
02. ∞
03. Adult Goth
04. Chinese High
05. MindKilla
06. ∞ ∞
07. Romance Layers
08. Sacer
09. ∞ ∞ ∞
10. Thru and Thru

First Impressions:

- Three years after Saint Dymphna, we find the Manhattan-based Gang Gang Dance set to release their fifth LP and first with 4AD on May 10th.

- From the opener "Glass Jar," you are given a taste of the worldbeat sound Gang Gang Dance have adapted on the album.  Although they stick to their experimental sounds with an array of instruments, synthesizers and singer Lizzie Bougatsos' melodic voice, there is a strong sense of a worldly tempo pulling from Chinese, African, and other instruments and sounds from around the world.

- The soothing, soft pitch sounds of Bougatsos' voice are showcased in the song "Romance Layers." She adds a depth to the song with the melodies she reaches in her voice and backed by a calming instrumental. The song captures a part of Gang Gang Dance we are used to.

- The band stays true to what sound they can take from different instruments, but they also add more to their abilities by way of an international sound. This album enhances Gang Gang Dance's music to another level of experimentation and ominously ends with the words, "Live forever."

Key Tracks:

"Chinese High," "Romance Layers," "Thru and Thru"

Predictions:

Eye Contact definitely takes Gang Gang Dance in a slightly different direction than their listeners might be used to, but one that brings them to an enhanced level of their sound. Some beats and sounds are reminiscent of the likes of M.I.A. or Little Dragon. After a three-year wait and a new label, the band has evolved their already-experimental sound to something slightly new. One thing is for sure: Bougatsos' does not disappoint with her melodic vocals.