Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine

There's a lot of expectation preceding You're A Woman, I'm A Machine, but, for a change, this is an album that easily lives up to it. In the current art-rock climate, you could see this as a timely album, what with the use synths and a complete lack of guitars (well, of the six-string variety anyway), but DFA1979 have concocted a fairly brutal yet melodic sound that's rooted in the past with its eyes on the future--you'll be listening to this for years. It's how metal (call it punk-funk if you like, but most of this really isn't) ought to sound in the 21st century: catchy, sludgy and sleazy.

Opening with the clearly hardcore-influenced "Turn It Out", the dirty bass riffs and none-more-rock vocals of Sebastien Grainger never let up, even when the pace is slowed for the funky and frankly filthy-sounding "Sexy Results". "You've seen it once, I've seen it all," Grainger moans in the Motörhead-esque title track. He may be right, but let's hope we get to see some more--this is magnificent stuff. --Marc Bloomfield