key is rhythm: The acid-house bands got all soft and soggy, while the Rapture go for lean, jagged beats, all forward momentum and nervous aggression. Their long-awaited album
Echoes is the big payback, fusing mean guitars and disco trance for a ferocious new breed of punk funk.
A few years ago, the Rapture were just your basic big-hair Cure tribute band. But then they hooked up with New York's ace production team DFA -- James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy -- who funked them up something fierce. Under DFA's wing, the Rapture blew up with their amazing indie club hits "House of Jealous Lovers" (which is included here) and "Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks" (which isn't). The music is all doom and gloom: Luke Jenner wails his gothed-out love mantras over hypnotic synth beats, slashing guitar, bass rumbles and the occasional cowbell solo. It adds up to a psychotically shredded sound. The Big Star tribute ballad "Love Is All" is a surprise stroke, and percussionist Gabe Andruzzi proves himself one of the most influential cowbell players of our time, despite his unfortunate penchant for wearing head scarves onstage. It's the sound of the crowd, circa 2003: Give the drummer some, people, but don't forget to save a little love for the cowbell player.
ROB SHEFFIELD
(RS 934, October 30, 2003)
