Audio By Carbonatix
When not causing a dance-rock ruckus with his bass-drums duo Death From Above 1979, mustachioed four-stringer Jesse Keeler likes to team up with pal Al-P to form the equally Canadian, increasingly prolific, vowel-challenged production team MSTRKRFT. Over the past year, the pair has crafted remixes for such luminaries as Annie, Bloc Party, The Gossip, and Wolfmother; The Looks marks its first excursion into all-original material. Like DFA 1979, there’s not a guitar within earshot here. Nor is there any rock — this is throwback disco-house music, Chicago-style, executed quite ably yet always with a smirk. “Easy Love” bumps with machine-cowbell, plenty of high-hat abuse, vocodered vocals, filter sweeps, and dirty synth stabs (though not as dirty as the song’s over-the-top video, which can only be described in two words: “milkshake bukkake”). Handclaps and Le Tigre-sounding choruses permeate the wiggly electro-funk of “She’s Good for Business,” while “Street Justice” veers from the disc’s predominantly frothy, pastel-colored vibe with gritty, distorted sequences, and a darkly proggy keyboard solo accompanying its 4/4 pulse. And like the track’s recurring vocal sample claims, The Looks, more often than not, can really kill on the dance floor.
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
