MY DISCO – LITTLE JOY
A little irony goes a long way, and My Disco used their allotted quota when they named the band. So the title of their third album – Little Joy – can either be taken as black humour or as rote – take your pick. There is certainly very little disco in this trios approach; exploring stark, barren musical landscapes of angular guitar, pulsating bass and spartan, yet lyrical drums; all punctuated by occasional vocals joining in the long, repetitive meditations on musical themes. Bleak, yes; hard to penetrate, certainly; grating, at times, definitely; but hypnotic and intriguing, undoubtedly. As the rhythms repeat, the motifs seemingly endless, it is this unchanging nature that allows them to surprise and elate when shift do occur, and they will occur. This is a focused work from a band who have taken what they learnt last time around under Steve Albini and added a dimension of depth to their sound. Like watching the rock-face on a distant shoreline, it looks craggy and unmoved, but you know it is ever-changing from one minute to the next. It’s all in the perception.
*** 1/2
