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The Rapture developed a reputation for being post-punk
revivalists with their debut effort Mirror in 1999 and
their proceeding full length albums Out Of The Races And Onto
The Tracks in 2001 on Sub Pop Records and Echoes in
2003 on Vertigo Records. But their latest discography installment
Pieces Of The People We Love on Universal Motown Records
is satisfying with a funk-pop spectrum of party anthems flavored
with Brit-pop grooves and new wave boosters. Turning to contemporary
dance-pop producers Brian Joseph Burton, better known as
Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley),
Ewan Pearson (Goldfrapp, The Chemical Brothers),
and Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Babyshambles),
The Rapture were able to give sun-dried pop punk melodies a shot
of tequila and jalapeño swagger in their perky synth shakes,
jaunty vocal movements, frolicking guitar swizzles, and connecting
rhythm sashays.
Their music is fertile with neo glam-rock masts likened to Louis
XIV and electro-pop funnels with correlations to Editors
and Shiny Toy Guns. The Rapture have funk-pop phrasings
riding along neo-punk glades that do more than revive their predecessors
like Interpol, they lay out new facades to emulate. Numbers
like "Whoo! Alright Yeah Uh Huh" and "The Devil"
do more than have a fluorescent rock gleam likened to the UK's
Klaxons and Kaiser Chiefs, the songs display soul
in the vocal movements, punk in their sprints, and funky intonations
in their jabs. The Rapture also integrates world music elements
into their electro-pop sheens. There is a mid-eastern accent in
some of their dance-funk synth sails like on the tracks "Don
Gon Do It" and "Live In Sunshine." Their synth-pop
designs are multi-faceted sometimes having an acid/club funk strut
like "The Sound" or a futuristic vibe like on "Down
For So Long" which has the dance-funk radiance of LCD
Soundsystem. The looser spiraling synth action of "Calling
Me" has a soft punk scheme embossing the guitar echoes and
effects and emotive vocals that latch onto the sleek jumps in
the movements.
Settled in New York City, The Rapture's electro-pop montage is
surfeit with fun and uplifting jolts. The blitz of guitar effects
and vocal sprees of lead singer/guitarist Luke Jenner are
lodged by vaunting rhythms by bassist Matt Safer, who shares
in the lead vocal duties on 5 of the tracks, and drummer Vito
Roccoforte. Multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi
adds scintillating tones and textures to the band's dance-punk
plexus. The synth flicks have a new wave slant and the bass and
guitar licks have a party-punk girth. The music congeals punk-rock
with funk and soul vibrations. Its theme is music that gets you
off your feet and have fun.
-Susan Frances
Track listing:
1. Don Gon Do It
2. Pieces Of The People We Love
3. Get Myself Into It
4. First Gear
5. The Devil
6. Whoo! Alright Yeah Uh Huh
7. Calling Me
8. Down For So Long
9. The Sound
10. Live In Sunshine
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