More on: Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Label: Virgin
Release Date: 17/03/08
Rating:

What a month for preposterously long titled albums. First 'I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope', and now this. Typing an acronym takes as long as copying and pasting - a little help here, guys. The band name is like a wide eyed wall scribbling toddler, waiting for scorn from its parents (the press). If they made some kind of necromancy metal advocating paedophilia or some other Daily Mail nightmare, then maybe it would be apt. Maybe. Instead, the Reading group make an electro workout, like Hot Chip's dancier moments if they'd been a Clockwork Orange style match-sticked eye approach to a music education.

'With A Heavy Heart (I Reject To Inform You)' has Liars style disco riffs mixed with the sounds of synths having their inner circuitry pinched and prodded until they scream out in screeching pain. Whilst repetition, repetition, repetition is an old adage of electronic music, using almost exactly the same sounding riff for the next track 'We Are Rockstars', just with cowbell and more tortured keyboards, is a little obvious. The Daft Punk computer voice is a good touch though.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? take a different line on 'Dawn Of The Dead', making an 80s keyboard led song along far more traditional pop sensibilities. 'Doomed Now' twists again, resembling the Polysics without the sugar rush, and at about half the tempo.

If there's a track with a better name than 'Attack Of The 60ft Lesbian Octopus' this century, then this writer will eat his hair. Yummy hair. It's up there with 'The Half Eaten Sausage Will See You In His Office' by the Locust. The track is a Noughties take on a B-movie theme, reveling in its cartoon grotesqueness.

'Being Bad Feels Pretty Good' follows the 80s inspired trend of previous tracks, whilst adding the beauty of disco handclaps to the mix. No sarcasm - disco handclaps are amazing. 'Weird Science' is the only downside on a grand record. After a minute of noises too teeth grindingly irritating for ears the song finally kicks in, but it is the only bit of filler in a taut, lean record.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? have failed in their mission to upset, but have a huge success in their debut album. 'You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into' is a frantic trip around the seedier side of electro, mixing big riffs, computer voices and broken synth into a giddy mixture. Its pace is perfect, speeding and slowing so as not to be too relentless, but still giving big smiles and happy feet to the listener.

James Lawrenson

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