For an act so riddled with concept Prinzhorn Dance School are a somewhat hollow affair. But rather than testament to the resolute minimalism the Brighton duo employ it instead marks the act as having stripped their sound to expose themselves as utterly lacking in anything worth revealing.
Many people will not 'get' Prinzhorn Dance School. For those that do they will presumably provide the same initially attractive prospect that led to them being signed to DFA. The glaze soon wears off. Brittle and awkward, they remain committed to their self-imposed limits, with the drumming kept uniformly to a solitary beat and the lyrics a relentless stream of spoken-word spouted nonsense. It all seems such a self-aware, self-important farce. Rather than brutal (see Shellac) or innovative (see The Neptunes) PDS appear to have harnessed their minimalist approach in order to mask their self-proclaimed inadequacies. It feels that in their haste to sign an act that are so drastically minimal DFA have picked a dud that falls inbetween the leftfield ingenuity and basic dancefloor standing the label has long been synonymous with.
Tobin Prinz’s lyrical unwillingness to provide much more than flatly delivered one-word allusions immediately becomes tiring. Ambiguity is one thing, relentless “NHS, eggs and cress” yelps aiming at potent imagery is another. Having distanced the record's political motivations, ‘No Books’ then makes vague references to the destitution of nylon-clad, intellectually unengaged post-Thatcher poverty, but they fall short of making an overruling statement, instead worn with pretension. Prinz’s bitter vocal delivery occasionally goes some way to echo Jon King, particularly when he strikes up an 'Anthrax'-aping call-and-response with Suzi Horn in ‘Lawyers Water Jug’. But as far as political subversiveness go PDS are a far cry from Gang of Four's structuralist musings. It all flags up the issue of what their point is. Again.
Occasionally it veers towards Archie Bronson Outfit's stark brilliance, with closer ‘Spaceman In Your Garden’ going some way to illustrate what DFA saw in the act as Prinz musters something resembling a harmony, but it remains lyrically innocuous. Whilst DFA/LCD lynchpin James Murphy may have had a hand in proceedings, it doesn't show. Dull rather than disorientating and ultimately only feeling remarkable in its resolutely basic stance, Prinzhorn Dance School is an unfortunately clumsy, pretence-ridden deluge rather than an imposing, focused machine.
For all the hype..
I found this utterly unlistenable. The stark, punky, stripped down feel of it all was interesting at first blush; but was beginning to grate before I even listened to the end of the first track. A couple of songs later and I felt like I was having teeth pulled.
And please, please, please: no more call/response bits with male and female vocalists doing affected-pronounciation accents. Please.
I don't think
I've read a single good review of these - album, singles, live (especially live), anything. They've got the germination of something, but then seemingly decided that scintilla was more than enough.
Live!
I was scatching my head trying to work out where I had heard this name from, then I remembered they supported LCD Soundsystem on tour recently. and they truly truly stunk
to the point that i was in tears laughing at them. I'm sure the asymmetrical of hair will love them. not I
Horn ahead
Fantastic review but not, sadly, for the reason 'Samuel Strang' intended. Harping on superficially about a band's supposed pretension, then, oh the ironies, referring to Gang Of Four's 'structuralist musing'. I fell off my chair laughing. A 'vague reference indeed'. I'd ask you to explain yourself, but you can't. I know structuralism, and I know Gang of Four but what links the two other than a superficial apeing of better writers referring to their politics? Add to this, your opening introduction is semi-literate at best - it should be testifying, not 'testament' and don't get me started on the final phrase of that opener. Moving on to what matters here, namely the music, rather than the pseudo-intellectual meanderings of Strang, PDS seem destined to be the latest misunderstood victim of the music press. I've seen them live. They are challenging, sparse, funky as f*&ck (yes, they are a dance band) and come across as a breath of fresh air compared to the continuous treadmill of sub-libs or sub-oasis sh*te. And while 'Live!' was in tears laughing at them, I was in tears laughing at you, knowing immediately that you probably didn't even like LCD initially but had to be told they were cool or good before hitching yourself to their bandwagon. In a week when the great Tony Wilson has passed on, it's consoling to remember, when reading the drivel above, his support for bands that were often challenging and difficult, and often attracted the ire of punters and poor critcis alike. Would Wilson be a Horn fan? You betcha.
bleetings..
titt.
Indulging in light Gramscian theory hardly fits conveniently into a review does it now, darling? Not the person, not the place.
Either way, for all your speak of treadmills it's hardly cause to desperately herald this derivative dirge.
they're
on fuckin support for LCD soundsystem again at the barrowlands
my life is now miserable
eh?
I'd reply to your response if I could understand what you were trying to say...again. You make no sense...again. And what a great comeback to being called semi literate: a semi-literate response. Tit has one T at the end. It's bleating, not 'bleetings'. You really are in the wrong job aren't you? Actually, I'd be gutted if you liked them. Please. Stop. Now.
go on the horn!
that reviewer is deaf. for a more enlightened view check out the Guardians take on Prinzhorn at:
http://music.guardian.co.uk/electronic/story/0,,2150304,00.html
go on the horn!
HH
Thank You Gilles
Brilliant. Give this guy Strangs job somebody please.
Do you get it yet?
Samuel you ARE the space invader.
Your also a f*cking c**t.
Do your research, progress past GCSE level English and then you may come back and have another go.
How the hell did you get a job writing for Drowned in Sound? Who hired this tired, talentless hack? Fire them both. We need informed reviews!!