65daysofstatic – The Distant and Mechanized Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties

65daysofdanceparties

The realms of the modern vintage post-rock sound have been dominated by one band: 65daysofstatic. This EP sees the band evolving a track many fans will recognize from the band’s 2007 release The Destruction of Small Ideals. The original version of “Dance Parties” was an epic composition; its drum line drives the piece, with dominant guitar riffs overrunning it and keyboards to give the track the electronic feel for which the band has become known. The song mainly consists of a build-up resulting in a grand crescendo followed by a polyrhythmic little drum and keyboard ditty. 65daysofstatic had a busy 2008 with the recording of the EP as well as extensive touring both to promote it and as the main support for The Cure’s tour of Europe and America.The remixed versions of The Distant and Mechanized Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties throw caution to the wind and radically change the style of the composition with a more techno approach. The first, “Dance Parties [Distant],” replaces syncopated drums with a steadier beat and eliminates the dominant guitar riff, replacing it with a massive amount of keyboard layers. The oddest, and possibly the most brilliant of this version is the ending, where everything except the bass drum stops in the wake of a handclapping chant.

The second remix, “Dance Parties [Mechanized],” is more in-keeping with the original even if that’s only due to the existence of a guitar riff. Keyboards are still much higher up in the order of things. It differs from the original by eliminating the polyrhythmic piece at the end, instead taking an all-out offensive approach. It starts loud, almost assaulting, and gets louder before a short sample of crowd cheering and then returning to its previous stance with an intense drum rhythm.

The final two songs see the band returning to the realms of the familiar, all beating drums and battering guitars. “Goodbye 2007” and “Antique Hyper Mall” seem to mold and intertwine into a wonderfully familiar instrumental piece. The chaos sounds hardly managed, but after a few rounds with the EP one realizes it couldn’t be more controlled. For years now, 65daysofstatic have been more than just a music-producing enigma, but also a subject for study. This is one release that has to be listened to by fans of the genre.