Los Angeles
Joy Division-obsessed duo
She Wants Revenge blend electronic beats with goth pop misery on their self-titled Geffen debut. DJs
Justin Warfield and
Adam "Adam 12" Bravin may have crafted the post-punk equivalent of
XTC alter-egos
Dukes of Stratosphear's psychedelic rock tribute
Chips from the Chocolate Fireball, but there is suspicion as to whether or not it was intentional. Like fellow reanimators
Interpol,
the Bravery, or even the mysterious
Lansing-Dreiden,
She Wants Revenge love early
Depeche Mode,
Bauhaus, and pre-
Land of Rape and Honey Ministry, but what makes their impeccably crafted, highly listenable/danceable collection of angst so dubious is its utter duplicity. There's nothing wrong with honoring your influences by copping a few moves and singing in a fake British accent like
Green Day with the intentions of updating a genre that many potential listeners are too young to have experienced first-hand, but it's another thing to do it without even the slightest deviation. ~ James Christopher Monger