Dance
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the dance music genre.
-
Two Door Cinema Club – “Tourist History” (2010)
Tourist History is a fun little album but entirely a one-trick pony. At least Two Door Cinema Club has the sense to cut it at 30 minutes, making the album work as a short blast of energy. The band could benefit greatly from a vocalist with more guts. A lot of these club rhythms could… (read more)
-
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Fever to Tell” (2003)
Rebellious girl rock is such a great concept with me, so why do I have the damndest time finding any I truly can’t resist? On Fever to Tell, Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound like X-Ray Spex with less balls. Fortunately, they use that extra space to get their groove on with some repetitive dance rhythms; but there’s never… (read more)
-
Renegade Soundwave – “Soundclash” (1989)
Awesome. Renegade Soundwave are cool as fuck and they know it. During 1989 on Soundclash, they were already in the future. Industrial-esque riffs covered by gleaming synths with catchy beats underneath it all while a suave, rhythmic vocalist grooves on top. Soundclash is as dirty and hedonistic as the cover’s dominatrix-featuring nightclub sign suggests. I… (read more)
-
Madonna – “Confessions on a Dance Floor” (2005)
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the kind of album an older Madonna should be making. Instead of chasing current trends, always a few steps behind and all for the goal of creating a subpar version of those trends, she follows her instincts. This leads to an album that has both idiosyncrasies and energy but… (read more)
-
Primal Scream – “Vanishing Point” (1997)
Vanishing Point is an album I’ve always wanted to like more, and that sentiment applies to Primal Scream in general. The album is so clearly cool. But the textures just aren’t to my preference. I like “Get Duffy” for its crystalline melody, but the vast majority of this album is rhythmically acidic. Just ain’t my… (read more)
-
Gang of Four – “Solid Gold”
Gang of Four were one of the pioneering dance-punk bands of the post-punk scene. It’s easy to see why on Solid Gold, with its funky bass and catchy, repetitious guitar riffs. While the album is a consistently high quality, nothing reaches the heights of “What All We Want,” which is now one of my favorite… (read more)
-
Queen – “Hot Space”
Many consider Hot Space to be Queen‘s worst album (personally, I believe that title goes to The Miracle), and it’s fans often abhor it for its shift from rock to pop, featuring many songs driven by synthesizer dance beats. Certainly, a move that could (and would) easily anger the band’s long-time fans and rock purists. But… (read more)
-
David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
“Modern Love” and “China Girl” are fantastic pop songs and what make Let’s Dance so frustrating. It’s clear David Bowie‘s songwriting skills haven’t dried up yet with those two tracks, so you get the impression that he isn’t even trying with the rest of the songs on here. Most likely because he probably isn’t. David… (read more)