Dada Life – Higher Than The Sun

“Apparently I’ve got literally nothing to say about this.”

Tim: This Swedish dance outfit’s most recent track, One Nation Under Lasers, released a few days ago, got sent in to us yesterday, but it’s a bit noisy and not very pleasant. This previous one, though, just a few weeks old so still nice and relevant, is quite a bit nicer.

Tom: Nicer, or just… well, it turns out I don’t actually have any adjectives that sum up “I literally can’t remember any of this after it finished”.

Tim: Oh, Well, I say quite a bit nicer for two reasons: firstly, there’s the existence of a vocal, which not only here has a great tune to it but also serves to take attention away from the slightly less great underlying synth line. For me, that might be a bit too heavy otherwise, as that’s certainly my problem with the vocal-less follow-up. Here, though, we’ve got that chorus, with its simple but lovely melody, to keep the focus.

Secondly, of course, there’s the video, which has a more interesting narrative than part two, viewable at the above link.

Tom: I’m just not sold. Maybe it’s that I was distracted watching the video — but it also says a lot that I wasn’t really watching the narrative, just trying to work out how the animators made the shadows move properly. I… yeah, apparently I’ve got literally nothing to say about this.

Tim: Upsettingly, that second part still doesn’t explain where the green guy came from – maybe that’ll be an exciting revelation in part three, and I’m hoping it’ll be something nicer than just a big bogey that was stuck in the wine.

Tom: Mate.

Tim: 👍

Dada Life – Happy Violence

I’m not sure what it’s got.

Tim: Right. Yesterday I said I liked dubstep if it was done well. This has been sent in by reader Martijn, and it’s time to test that. But first, don’t watch it at work if you’re an investment banker.

Tom: With the title of “Happy Violence”, I was really hoping that the shocked bankers’ reactions at one minute into the video would be in response to a gunman entering the building, God Bless America-style. Alas, ’twas not to be.

Tim: Hmm. I’m conflicted here. Because, I really don’t know whether I like it or not. Its got— well, actually I’m not sure what it’s got.

Tom: Well, it starts all off Jean Michel Jarre, but rapidly becomes a bass-heavy dance number. But this is not dubstep, not by a long way – it’s far too fast, and far too light.

Tim: Not properly, no, but I wouldn’t say it’s a long way off – there are definite elements of it in the post-chorus instrumental bit, and for me it’s that that sticks out.

I can’t put into words anything I like about it, and if I was analysing it piece by piece it would all be negative. But somehow, there’s just a glimmer of something in there, I think, which means that…oh, I don’t know. What do you think?

Tom: It’s a middle-of-the-DJ-set track, in the manner of Justice or a few other similar acts – nothing that’s going to trouble the pop charts, but certainly a decent effort.

Tim: Actually, you know what? I don’t like it. I think it’s best if we just leave this sort of stuff for middle-eights for now.