The Whip
Wired Together
Southern Fried Records
September 2011
Electro-pop quartet, The Whip, come from Manchester, home also to electronic iconoclasts Chemical Brothers and ’80s institution The Smiths. Their second LP, Wired Together, doesn’t feature any songs comparable to any Smiths’ ’80s Nights standards, or even a “Block Rockin’ Beats,” but fans of electronic dance music and synthesizer pop will find plenty to work with on this record.
Which is both good and bad. The record is a collection of cool vocals and synth sounds reminiscent of Depeche Mode and New Order singles (more ’80s Night nostalgia!) and crisp disco percussion, held together by production so seamless you can’t tell the difference between its electronic beats and drummer Lil Fee’s acoustic drum kit. But these slick, commerical sounds don’t quite cohere into pop songs.
Dance music isn’t exactly verse-chorus-verse pop though, so maybe it’s unfair to expect a “How Soon is Now?” or “Big Mouth Strikes Again.” Rather, expect solidly dance-able, floor-ready tracks with some provocative rhythmic surprises.
Listen to this as: you are getting ready for a night out dancing after a hideously long week.
— Jamie Varriale Vélez is a graduate student and sometimes musician from New York. She blogs about punk, gender, community, and other assorted stuff at http://rockandthesinglegirl.blogspot.com.