Bis
Social Dancing
(EMD/Capitol)
It's a strange quirk of the music
business
that Bis are considered one of the coolest groups going around
at the
moment. The Scottish youngsters released their newest
LP to respectful murmurings about
both their links to the Beastie
Boys and their flashy, polished progression toward a more
"mature"
sound than that of their debut album, The New Transistor Heroes.
Social Dancing is a more mature album than its predecessor, but
only because
Bis have more money and a better producer (Andy
Gill, who has worked with Gang Of Four and
the Red Hot Chili
Peppers). Thankfully, Manda Rin, John Disco and Sci-Fi Steven
(who wants to use boring real names, eh?) have kept the youth,
energy, tunes and sheer
excitement which grabbed the British
public four years ago. If you want to love Bis for their lyrics,
then you can. Sit back and enjoy
musings about the death of the
great pop star as faceless DJs take over ("Action
&
Drama"). If you want to love Bis for their blissed-out sense
of fun,
you can do that, too. Jump insanely around your bedroom
with your favorite fanzine as the
sped-up shoutfests of "Am
I Loud Enough" and "Shopaholic" grab you
mind
and refuse to let go. And if you're just after some great singalongs
with a
thousand friends then Bis are on your side again, with
the true genius of
"Eurodisco" and the rallying call
of "Young Alien Types." When the boy bands start marketing,
it can often feel that a sense of fun in
music is restricted
to ten-year-olds. Bis take that notion and ram it down the cynics'
throats. This is an album screaming with youth and invigoration.
It's got smarts but
thankfully not street smarts. It doesn't
wait for those who look down on pop music. This
group make fun
times our Bis-ness. Get hooked now!
Rating: 8
Tim Roman
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