In Remembrance: Death From Above 1979
We aren't very good with dates, but 1979 just sticks with us.
To quote the late, great Hunter S. Thompson, “A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.” Disregarding the dying part, which unfortunately was the case, this quote sums up Death From Above 1979 almost flawlessly. On paper, their heavy dance-punk sound, completely void of guitar sounds like a flop, a very trendy flop mind you, but a flop nonetheless. Not only did DFA 1979 stick it to their naysayers by making damn good music, but they did it in style.
To best describe their sound, take equal parts crunchy, melodic bass, smooth synth leads, danceable drums and swooning, heavy vocals, mix until dizzy and angry, then sprinkle on cowbell to taste. Serve with sexy and dynamic lyrics and you’re set to get down and dirty. Featuring Sebastien Grainger on drums and vocals and partner in crime, Jesse F. Keller on bass and keys with an occasional hoot and holler of background singing, DFA 1979’s dance-punk sound was nothing if not unique.
Before Death From Above 1979, both Grainger and Keller were prominent musicians in the Toronto hardcore and punk scene, Keller being a member of Black Cat #13, an electro-hardcore band foreshadowing DFA 1979. By the time Black Cat #13 was falling apart, Keller was already finishing an EP for his new project, Femme Fatale. Grainger was also looking for a new project, which lead to Death From Above 1979 forming in Toronto in 2001.
The band was originally simply named Death From Above, but after a legal entanglement with DFA Records shortly after their formation, the band soon added “1979” to the name. When asked where the numeral came from, the band offered multiple explanations, but eventually admitted it was just Grainger’s birth year. Although, stating it was also the last year of the last cool decade as an explanation works in my books too.
Death From Above 1979 released their first EP, Heads Up, in 2002 before changing their name. AI-P, a longtime electronic musician and friend of the band, was the producer of the album and would later become the other half of MSTRKRFT. Heads Up was released on Ache Records and received positive reviews from critics.
Before releasing their debut album, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, in 2004, DFA 1979 dropped another EP which included two tracks from their upcoming album named Romantic Rights. A scant six months later, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine was released worldwide. While reviews ranged from mediocre to album of the year material, critical reception was generally favorable. The album went on to sell over 175,000 copies worldwide, enough to go gold in the U.S. and Canada.
After the release of a successful debut album, the band embarked on an extended world tour, playing shows all over North America, Europe and Japan. At the conclusion of this touring, DFA 1979 released a remix album titled, Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides. Released almost exactly one year after You’re a Woman… , Romance Bloody Romance, didn’t receive anything near the kind of praise as their previous album. Most reviews of the album were mixed, citing it as unoriginal, dull, and repetitive. The 13-track album included four remixes of “Black History Month” and three of “Romantic Rights.” Although several notable artists performed the remixes, including: Sam E Danger (of Test Icicles), Final Fantasy, Justice, and even MSTRKRFT (a successful electronic project which would later become Keller’s main focus), it couldn’t change the fact that there just wasn’t much to work with. (Author’s note: Sam E Danger’s Remix of “Black History Month” is by far the highlight of the album.)
In August 2006, Keller posted a letter on the band’s website announcing their breakup. In his letter he started that the band had decided it was time to call it quits nearly a year before this announcement, however, due to all their already scheduled shows and all the people that depended on them in order to make a living, they had postponed their breakup. The letter also mentions that their label, Last Gang Records, had requested that they stay quiet about their decision for a while, in the hopes that Keller and Grainger would reconsider their decision. In later interviews, members started that the breakup was due to the members growing apart and increasingly frequent disagreements on creative direction, music style and involvement in other projects.
Following the breakup, Keller became increasingly involved in MSTRKRFT, his electronic project with DFA 1979’s longtime producer, AI-P. MSTRKRFT has since gone on to remix dozens of songs from popular artists such as: Bloc Party, Wolfmother, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Brazilian Girls. MSTRKRFT has also released two albums of their own, The Looks and Fist of God. Grainger is currently working on his solo project and is signed to Saddle Creek Records. His first solo album, Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains received average reviews. With the assistance of his backing band, The Mountains, he has toured with Bloc Party, Hot Hot Heat, and Albert Hammond Jr.
Posted by Andrew Scott on Oct 19, 2009 @ 9:00 am
