2008 Woodie Awards
'Dystopia'
4/5 stars
John Kendall
Issue date: 7/29/08 Section: Music Reviews
Come December it will be time to sum up the year in music. One thing that will be undeniable about 2008 will be its love of the 80's. If put it to the test the 80's might rank in the polls as the worst decade as far as music goes, but despite all the cheesiness and ridiculousness (think the keytar or Flock of Seagulls) there was so much irrefutable pop genius that is often categorized in "guilty pleasures."
Now that the children of the 80's are grown up and making music, luckily they are taking the good bits of its music and leaving the spandex behind. Midnight Juggernauts are a perfect example.
On their debut full length album "Dystopia" the trio, harking from Melbourne, Australia, meld retro synths, driving bass lines and live drums with vocals that are one part Bowie, one part Icelandic falsetto, and create a mystical electronica adventure that's perfect for either the dance floor or the headphones.
Being from Australia, the Midnight Juggernauts are right in the middle of the country's booming electronic scene, alongside bands like Cut Copy, The Presets, and Muscles. But unlike the others they utilize Halloween-esque moods (think of the "Ice Keys" setting on old keyboards) to create eerie and entrancing tracks like "Twenty Thousand Leagues" and "Shadows."
"Tombstone" could be electronica's answer to Peter Frampton while "Into The Galaxy" seems to channel old B-52's but again, Midnight Juggernauts cut the fat of the 80's and rewired it into an exhilarating and guiltless sound that will remind you that the 80's were not all bad.
Now that the children of the 80's are grown up and making music, luckily they are taking the good bits of its music and leaving the spandex behind. Midnight Juggernauts are a perfect example.
On their debut full length album "Dystopia" the trio, harking from Melbourne, Australia, meld retro synths, driving bass lines and live drums with vocals that are one part Bowie, one part Icelandic falsetto, and create a mystical electronica adventure that's perfect for either the dance floor or the headphones.
Being from Australia, the Midnight Juggernauts are right in the middle of the country's booming electronic scene, alongside bands like Cut Copy, The Presets, and Muscles. But unlike the others they utilize Halloween-esque moods (think of the "Ice Keys" setting on old keyboards) to create eerie and entrancing tracks like "Twenty Thousand Leagues" and "Shadows."
"Tombstone" could be electronica's answer to Peter Frampton while "Into The Galaxy" seems to channel old B-52's but again, Midnight Juggernauts cut the fat of the 80's and rewired it into an exhilarating and guiltless sound that will remind you that the 80's were not all bad.
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