Amazon.co.uk Review
There's a lot of expectation preceding
You're A Woman, I'm A Machine, but, for a change, this is an album that easily lives up to it. In the current art-rock climate, you could see this as a timely album, what with the use synths and a complete lack of guitars (well, of the six-string variety anyway), but DFA1979 have concocted a fairly brutal yet melodic sound that's rooted in the past with its eyes on the future--you'll be listening to this for years. It's how metal (call it punk-funk if you like, but most of this really isn't) ought to sound in the 21st century: catchy, sludgy and sleazy.
Opening with the clearly hardcore-influenced "Turn It Out", the dirty bass riffs and none-more-rock vocals of Sebastien Grainger never let up, even when the pace is slowed for the funky and frankly filthy-sounding "Sexy Results". "You've seen it once, I've seen it all," Grainger moans in the Motörhead-esque title track. He may be right, but let's hope we get to see some more--this is magnificent stuff. --Marc Bloomfield
Album Description
Death From Above 1979 make their considerable racket with only bass, drums, and the occasional Moog squelch assist. This isn't a gimmick--between Sebastien Grainger's frantic wail and the overdriven bass riffs of Jesse F. Keeler, the duo's
You're a Woman, I'm a Machine pulses with a steady, sweaty energy that's punctuated with arena-sized hooks. "Blood on Our Hands" boils dance-punk nearly all the way down, leaving only a relentless hi-hat cymbal, while "Turn It Out" and "Cold War" churn on double-time rhythms and rudimentary, yet completely effective bass runs.
There are hyper indie rock flare-ups, like in the Hot Snakes/Rocket from the Crypt yelp of "Going Steady." And "Sexy Results" is a flirtatious and amplified cross of new wave and Rapture-style strut that comes complete with a cowbell upbeat. Preoccupation with the opposite sex provides some of You're a Woman, I'm a Machine's strongest moments, from Grainger's "I don't need you/I want you" clarification on "Romantic Rights" to the frenetic late-album standout "Pull Out." Other highlights include the title track's layered vocals and wiry punk revivalism, and the subtler "Black History Month," which is a nice break from the record's consistently jerking pace. In the 2000s, dance-oriented energy keeps creeping regularly into rock & roll. On You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, Death From Above 1979 make people move by exposing the live-wire tension rock music had all along. --Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
~ Death from Above 1979
~ Yeah Yeah Yeahs
~ Death from Above 1979
~ Yeah Yeah Yeahs
~ Sebastien Tellier
See all 11 tracks on this disc
