Reviews
Intelligence
Deuteronomy
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2007-11-05
Picture that it’s the end of civilization through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster, maybe the bird flu? The only music that exists is the Intelligence’s brand of post-apocalyptic pop which of course would be the kind that Mad Max would listen to but certainly not the Postman.
Have you heard the A Frames? Me neither, well once kind of, I heard they were on subpop, anyways the guy that is in this band was in that band. I just read that on the internet. I could just assume its common knowledge but hey, it’s Taco Tuesday and I’m feeling particularly honest today.
Deuteronomy is the first Intelligence album to be recorded in an actual studio, (also from the internet, in fact all information regarding this album I found on the internet which is essentially all my reviews coupled with my formless opinion). Its polluted garage music with electronic stuff in it, but it’s not industrial, and it has jumping rhythms, keyboards that sound broken, and low fidelity sing-along vocals. In other words, its rad but it isn’t happy and it ain’t sad.
As you might imagine, in the post-apocalyptic future music doesn’t succeed with technical prowess it follows a more straight forward musical approach: simplistic with musical ability but sometimes complex in song structure. And like all great music, Intelligence seem like they’re always on the brink of falling apart at any second. At times, they could remind you of DFA 1979 (Sailor Dive) and at other times they could remind you of the Stooges mixed with early Devo (The Outer Echelon).
In a time where originality is actually just another word for a band rehashing an out of date genre Intelligence succeed in creating their own method. I don’t have a name for this genre however so I’m just going with post-apocalyptic no wave. With the nuclear winter on its way, you might just be in the mood for spewing out breathtaking clouds of lo-fi noise.
PS: Deuteronomy (apparently some kind of Hebrew law thinger).
Score: 8.3
- Mark Browdy