VHS OR BETA
Diamonds and Death
Krian Music Group
Admittedly, I wasn’t around to experience much of the ’80s. I did not physically come into existence until 1989. Fortunately for me, VHS OR BETA has encapsulated the feeling of 1980s electronic dance music on their album Diamonds and Death. But VHS OR BETA isn’t content with just drawing influences from the decade of disco; they incorporate many elements of modern house music as well. Diamonds and Death shakes a whole lot of ass while still sounding like it could be off of the soundtrack to Revenge of the Nerds. The result is an album more infectious, more virulent than Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
While VHS OR BETA’s last two albums (2004’s Night on Fire and 2007’s Bring On the Comets) featured much more of an alt/pop sound, Diamonds and Death seems to mark a return to the futuristic disco-injected electronica that pervaded so much of their debut album, Le Funk. Diamonds and Death sounds very much like a funkier version of Daft Punk. Yes, I’m aware that this comparison has been made so many times before that my saying so probably sounds incredibly hackneyed. However, I still maintain that this is probably the most accurate description for the feeling that listeners will experience on Diamonds and Death.
From the rock-tinged “Breaking Bones” to the just-plain-fun instrumental romp of “Jellybean;” from the haunting lyrics of “Diamonds and Death” to the quintessential ’80s sound of “Everybody,” Diamonds and Death is seriously fun listening. Seriously.
VHS OR BETA: http://vhsorbeta.com
