Pardans
Spit And Image
Tambourhinoceros
Out of the Mayhem Collective, which catapulted Iceage a few years ago, now comes Pardans. Pardans means something similar to ballroom dancing, though there isnβt much of that sound on their second release Spit and Image. Itβs essentially a mix of no-wave and punk-rock, disguised as jazz-punk, as it was heard back in the late β70s and β80s scene. This was a time where acts such as Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Lydia Lunch, and James White and the Blacks lay back at one end — and The Damned and The Birthday Party jammed hard at the other — all in an effort to just play the hell out of the youth of that era. Kids were tired of the music scene at that time, and would simply jump up and down in furious joy to the beat of the music. Pardans themselves refer to Birthday Party as an inspiration, and in many ways they live up to this through their strange madness and grotesque lyrics. Evidence of this can be seen in the opening track βBurning House Beddingβ:
βHypocrite lovers, my kindred spirits/
For love we yearned, with love weβre afflicted/
Hypocrite attendants, my fellow traitors/
Why do you scowl at me, you tokens of failure.β
The album continues with this same drive, but thereβs also room for some slower tempo tracks as well. The almost classical guitar on βRalleβs Themeβ and βLove Run Looseβ runs nicely with a beautiful, almost naked splendor. At the same time saxophone, arpeggio-guitar, Bratsch vocals, a very discreet rhythm section, and a humming menβs choir create an intense noire feeling underneath.
βI am the living spit and image of my deedsβ, sings Gustav Berntsen on the title track of this explorative and explosive album from the Northwest end of Copenhagen.
ArtistΒ Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PARDANS – SPIT AND IMAGE
Jens Trapp
