She Wants Revenge

These Things/She Wants Revenge

Released ??? 25-OCT-2005 ???

???? 31-JAN-2006 ???

#2

Music aficionado, actor extraordinaire, and handsome little devil Dwaine “Russ Maestro” Best shot me an E-mail on September 22, 2005. Here is what he wrote:

Muoio! Boy have I had an adventurous last few weeks, in all the bad ways. But I won't bore you with it yet. Enjoy the blatant sound rip-off. Dwaine

Attached was the She Wants Revenge song, Out of Control. I immediately responded with this:

Hopefully nothing bad.  I need the scoop.

I like this She Wants Revenge business.  I say the more dance beats the better! 

Now that I’ve gone and spread the business of Mr. Best to all of you, I’d like to explain the reason I did just that. Well, two reasons:

1) The man is a troubled genius and

2) Little did I realize at the time that three months later I’d be hailing She Wants Revenge and their musical output so far as the second best effort of the year.

The conclusion to this madness: She Wants Revenge’s self-titled debut and These Things EP are not only the best Depeche Mode music of the year, beating out Depeche Mode themselves, but also the best New Order music of the year, beating out New Order themselves, and the second best album(s) overall. Not bad for a couple of DJs whom I’m not sure have even released anything that can be purchased. But since I have it, thanks to Mr. Best and my resourceful ways, I am herewith obligated to praise it most completely for your consumption.

The doom and gloom Depeche Mode trademark explodes full throttle with the EP’s opening song, These Things. The echoing drum and bass consume the listener immediately and it’s as if we’re sinking into some bottomless pit which is slowly filling with water. But why? Then the monotone lyrical delivery enters the fray and all becomes crystal clear: “There’s nothing to see here, people keep moving on.” She Wants Revenge is all about deceit, betrayal, and of course, revenge. In other words, as Al Green would say, “L-O-V-E.”

These Things typifies the She Wants Revenge modus operandi, shocking us with lyrics such as, “It’s cold out but her Popsicle melts, she’s in the bathroom, she pleasures herself,” keeping our toes tapping with straight ahead aggressive techno-rock while it hints at influences but explodes beyond them. The song is everything we love about techno music without the tedium and easily predicted outcome.

Us, which I presume will be on the new album, follows the She Wants Revenge method but throws us for a loop almost instantly. Is that Vangelis, best known for his spacey musical contributions to the Chariots of Fire and Bladerunner soundtracks, at the controls? If not, it sure sounds that way, that is, until the true men behind the music, Justin and Adam change things again with industrial guitar flourishes. Another masterstroke.

Then, of course, there is the song that first hooked me, Out of Control. It is simply one of the best singles of the year, capturing the mirror balled night in the most dark and eerie way with verses and a chorus that will undoubtedly stick with you after merely a listen: “We’ve got nowhere to go, we’ve got nothing to prove, instead of dancing alone, I should be dancing with you.” Pure genius.

Other notable songs I have managed to snag include Broken Promises for Broken Hearts, Disconnect, Tear You Apart, and Sister. Each tackles techno rock in slightly different ways save Disconnect, which is more of an intro than anything else. Still, the song has an eeriness that lingers, and if that lingering element of music isn’t at least partially what makes standout tunes then I don’t know what does.

Responsible for all this breathtaking musical output are Los Angeles DJs Justin Warfield and Adam 12. On the one hand, it makes perfect sense. Who better to know what elements go into hit making songs than a couple of dudes who get the kids out to the dance floor on a regular basis? Then again, it could be that sitting in the booth usually results in being knowledgeable without possessing the skill to create your own music. In the case of She Wants Revenge, I unquestionably assume the former. And if their discs ever make it out to retail, there’s no telling how popular these guys can get.

February 14, 2006: spend time with someone you love. She Wants Revenge will be at the Middle East Downstairs. So should you.

PS – Like many bands listed in my 12 CDs list, She Wants Revenge’s music can be sampled for free at MySpace.com.