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Bang! Bang!

Electric Sex (2005)
Morphius

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Matt Whelihan
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on August 16th 2005

The artwork might scream “retro” louder than a pair of checkerboard slip-ons, but Bang! Bang! have a bit more to offer than other recent new wave revivalists who have yet to realize that imitation isn’t always a form of flattery.

Bang! Bang! definitely have their new wave checklist handy, but they’ve simply added a few more boxes to the end of the page. They’ve got the sassy boy/girl vocals, the dancey drums, and the bouncy bass lines, but they’ve also got some spidery guitar work that leans more towards Pretty Girls Make Graves or These Arms Are Snakes' more dance floor moments.

The band sound their best on this EP when they break up their retro passages with some post-punk flourishes like a kid with a Fugazi shirt throwing bows at a Go-Go’s show. “Make Believe” starts to falter with its filthy disco feel and “wo oh” squeals before a jarring guitar riff creeps in and picks it back up, while “Electric Sex (Down On The Dance Floor)” sounds like a boring Cramps song before a noisy interlude full of shard-like chords, scattered drums, and vocal outbursts claws at the ears for attention. “On Fire” might be the only track where Bang! Bang! get the mix completely right. A dance rhythm and 70's punk chorus collide with jerky riffs that pound at the fret board.

There are plenty of pop melodies and danceable moments on Electric Sex but many of them are so familiar they aren’t even fun anymore. With the retro craze sure to be just another flash in the pan for the music world Bang! Bang! will need to further incorporate their post-punk and noise influences if they hope to survive.

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Anonymous (August 19, 2005)

"There are no kids with Fugazi shirts."

Mostly true. I'm sure there are some home-made ones out there though.

sickboi (August 17, 2005)

Do people actually listen to shit like this?

Score is for the "groove is in the heart" comment.

wehavecomeforyourchildren (August 17, 2005)

i'm about to go all over the place with this next comment. stay with me.

my reviews must have been pretty terrible if reviews for bands like this get posted before ones that i wrote weeks ago.

and to the reviewer, i'm not criticizing your review at all. in fact, i admire the fact that you were able to listen to this band at all. you must have the tolerance of a saint.

bang! bang! electric sex???? what the fuck is that? is this what music has come to? this shit is more recycled than...well, the stuff that i put in my recycling bin (after it gets recycled). god damn, i'm clever.

p.s. what the fuck am i on about?

Anonymous (August 16, 2005)

"Man I don't even know what the fucking scene is anymore..."
"Are you being sarcastic?" "I don't even know anymore."

Marlon (August 16, 2005)

Man I don't even know what the fucking scene is anymore...

SoupIsGoodFood (August 16, 2005)

Look at the name. Scene cliche 101.

Scruffy (August 16, 2005)

Apparently, every single revivalist band, no matter what the trend they're reviving is, has more to offer than their peers. At least, if I can trust the reviews I read, that is.

blaubs21 (August 16, 2005)

the girl who sings in this band is a horrendous vocalist. especially live.

i do give them the awesome people award though..dude offered up his guitar for our band after our guitarist's normal and back up guitars both went to shit on him. so kudos to this band.

some1 (August 16, 2005)

oh good. pink shirts and the description "sassy".

Anonymous (August 16, 2005)

I like Make Believe - the band with Tim Kinsella in it.

SkolarX (August 16, 2005)

http://www.myspace.com/bangbang
there is that too, "1977" is probably the best song they had other than "steps"
they sound a lot like the bronx and bars type of stuff. rock n roll with screaming vocals. the live show had to be seen to be believed. i think i heard one last blow out show is coming...

SkolarX (August 16, 2005)

guess i should have read down before i posted that

SkolarX (August 16, 2005)

www.youredead.com
this bang bang!! is way better, though they are broken up

Anonymous (August 16, 2005)

>>>lol, most scene album cover, album name, and band name ever.

I dunno, maybe the band name is a tribute to Cactus Jack. And maybe the album name is a "Christmas Story" reference.

I feel like giving the benefit of the doubt today.

Anonymous (August 16, 2005)

There are no kids with Fugazi shirts.

TheOneTrueBill (August 16, 2005)

http://www.youredead.com/ There's the detroit band's website. I saw them at the Metro with the Suicide Machines last September, and they left an indlible impression in my mind.

This won't mean much unless you know what the Metro is like, but the singer climbed up the scaffold next to the PA speakers and sang a song from the little overhang on the ceiling. The man sang a rock and roll song suspended 30 feet in the air, ready to fall at any time. He tried to make his way to the balcony but realized it was impossible and would only result in injury.

Anonymous (August 16, 2005)

Groove is in the heart.

Kenjamin (August 16, 2005)

this band looks like dee-lite.

etwiels88 (August 16, 2005)

lol, most scene album cover, album name, and band name ever.

Anonymous (August 16, 2005)

the chicago one must be terrible then.

TheOneTrueBill (August 16, 2005)

The Detroit Bang Bang is way better than the Chicago one.