Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/23/2009
Released in 1986 (and reissued on CD by
Lexicon Devil in 2009),
the Scene Is Now's second LP,
Total Jive, was and remains a surprising slab of no wave-inspired alternative rock. From the outset,
"Bank" frames the group's music in a landscape where early
Pere Ubu and
Television are towering presences, something further exemplified by tracks like
"Brochure," "Bunk," and
"Premium Hat." Tracks heavily relying on a drum machine (
"Two Spoonfuls," "The Great Lakes") are more difficult to pinpoint; it seems that, in the presence of the machine's clinical precision, the band was granting itself permission to slip: vocals become approximate, guitars and keyboards have a hard time falling into place -- but it all seems deliberate, a subtextual dichotomy between man and machine. Other tracks evoke
the Fall, others again
Talking Heads, but only because these bands were much better known than
the Scene Is Now. Moving through the 14 tracks, the listener gets the impression of a well-defined (albeit wide-ranging and odd) group sound. Guitars twang, vocals slur, things go dissonant, and each song sounds like a struggle between pop order and avant-garde chaos.
Elliott Sharp (of
Carbon fame) produced five tracks, and these are among the most complex.
Total Jive is a strong post-punk-related album, somewhat lighter than it might seem at first. The amateurish quality of the vocals can be grating, but unsuspecting fans of the avant fringe of post-punk will be pleasantly surprised by this forgotten gem.
~François Couture, All Music Guide
;)
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