YΔCHT - Shangri-La Review

I really don't know what it is about DFA, but I tend to really like everyone that's signed to them.  My most recent crush is YΔCHT, an electropop duo from Portland, Oregon.  While they seem to be around for quite a few years, they only came to my attention after the recent release of their fifth album Shangri-La.


Given the layered, post-punk electro vibe of their sound, I'm assuming their influences include Blondie, Talking Heads and quite definitely LCD Soundsystem - the granddaddy of their label.  Claire C. Evans contributes most of the vocals on this album which bear similarities to Annie Lennox's contralto tones (albeit not nearly as tuneful).  However, in Paradise Engineering she assumes the role of a female rapper which leads to obvious comparisons to Debbie Harry, or to James Murphy himself. In fact, the beats (e.g. cowbells) and bass on this track are almost identical to LCD's Us v. Them on Sound of Silver, or to Pow Pow on This is Happening.


As a starter point I would recommend Dystopia; this is a track that grabs hold of you in an almost visceral way and stands out as an obvious single. Unfortunately for YΔCHT, rumors have been flying around the internet that the main hook in Dystopia makes reference to a song called 'Fire, Water, Burn' by that awful rap/rock ensemble the Bloodhound Gang which, needless to say, has been wholeheartedly denied by YΔCHT. Mind, after having listened to 'Fire, Water, Burn' I can see the lyrical parallel between the two but I'm sure this is just a coincidence as I cannot for the life of me see why the likes of YΔCHT would want to associate themselves with a band who are almost their antithesis in every way.


One hugely redeeming feature of this song is the nicely animated two-track video of Utopia and Dystopia which can be viewed here (this is the clean version):



Utopia / Dystopia (The Earth Is On Fire) (Clean Version) from DFA Records on Vimeo.



While this album will not win any prizes for originality, it remains a catchy, foot tapping, listenable album that is worth a whirl.


Best tracks: Dystopia, Paradise Engineering, Tripped and Fell in Love, Shangri-La