Vancouver’s You Say Party! We Say Die! is actually a lot of fun. Even though they’ve got one of those idiotic names that makes me what to ignore them totally (please see: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) it’s undeniable that their brand of dance-guitar-pop is infectiously catchy. Why record labels want to call this stuff “dance-punk” is beyond me. In reality, it’s watered down Sonic Youth in nearly every sense: guitar, vocals, etc. Not bad at all but not nearly as mind-blowingly neat-o as you’re supposed to believe.

Dig this description from the Paper Bag Records website:

So the band is “post-whatever” but also seeking to “touch something unrestrained by time”? Aw, bullshit. And what about that line “The album is a brilliant, spastic celebration of hyperactive outbursts and meditative moments”? How stupid do record labels think people are?

Answer: Pretty damn stupid.

I realize labels have records to sell and people want music to listen to and all that. Maybe if this wasn’t the 10,000th time this decade something was described as “dance-punk” I’d think that was a cool descriptor, too. As it is, though, I feel bad for bands like this who can actually crank out solid pop tunes but are, ultimately, at the mercy of whatever person is charged with introducing them to the world at large.

Why write about a band whose most recent record came out almost 6 months ago? Because I’m trying to do something unrestrained by time, dude!

Download, enjoy, etc:

“Monster”
“Opportunity”
“Like I Give A Care” (mp3)
from “Lose All Time”
by You Say Party! We Say Die!
(Paper Bag Records) Buy at Napster