Dance-based electronic music is certainly en vogue these days, whether it's heard in refined, professionally DJed Manhattan dinner galas or in dingy basement shows whilst drenched in Pabst and hipster sweat. Nobody understands this concept better than former !!! co-singer and drummer John Pugh, who recently left the electroclash band to devote more time to his nascent pet project Free Blood. When devising a specific sound for his latest musical group, Pugh sought to unite these two ideals: the cultivated synth beats with the utterly fucked-up party regalia. What resulted over the course of several years is a series of sexy dance singles imbued with just enough chaos to keep things interesting.
Employing the simplest instrumentation possible -- bass, drum machine, and two microphones -- Pugh and Co. attempt to reinvent the electronic dance genre, allowing a certain level of on-the-spot experimentation to give their songs an element of disarray and spontaneity. The majority of the songs were recorded at The Brothers studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which is quite literally a closet studio and certainly added an ingredient of volatility to the cuts' production.
The Singles, the group's first full-length, is a collection of its first two 12-inches, with a couple of remixes as an added bonus. While the album is only comprised of six original tracks, minus the remixes, it still offers an adequate look into the twisted electro soundscapes that define Free Blood. The funkadelic ode to marijuana “Never Hear Surf Music Again” opens with a deep drum-bass beat as Pugh and co-frontwoman Madeline Davy croon that they're “hiiiiiigh/ hiiiigh-eeyey-eeyey.” Their voices blend and mesh with the assorted distortion, as guitars, strings, synth beats, and drum tones create a chaotic mishmash of sound that, strangely enough, works.
“Quick and Painful” is a much more dance-friendly affair, complete with a playful beat and the singing duo's endearingly obnoxious vocals. “Parangatang” is more reliant on programmed drum rhythms and synth notes, giving the song a dreamy feel as the beats fight against Davy's high-pitched squeal. The creepy cut “Royal Family” contrasts the album's more danceable tracks, as ominous keys add a foreboding detail to the song's playful screams. Thankfully, the cut later progresses into synthesized territory, allowing it to fuse with the rest of the record's dance-punk mixes.
With recent high-profile gigs opening for Hot Chip and Holy Fuck, Free Blood might soon bring their version of dance chaos outside their home state of New York. The Singles shows the band has successfully solidified its brand of disordered dance-punk, and hopefully Free Blood will continue this promising trajectory with future full-length releases.
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