Telepathe Dance Mother

Telepathe evolved out of Melissa Livaudais and Busy Gangnes wishing to do something more than the jam band aesthetic that they were used to in their previous groups. They decided that the best path was to head in the complete opposite direction of what they were used to. Armed with enough computers and electronics to start a small war, Telepathe began recording and exploring the worlds of warped electronic experimentation. After getting the hang of it and recording two EP's/singles (Farewell Forest & Chromes On It) Telepathe are now preparing to release their debut, Dance Mother.

The first thing that strikes you about Dance Mother is just how far they have come from their past efforts. This is a cool, clinical, detached record that while stark and glitchy is melodic, hooky, and haunting. Telepathe clearly build their songs with ideas coming from every direction; there are extraneous guitar riffs, broken beats, busted synths, moody bass lines, off center vocals and more all with in the course of their songs. What's fascinating about all this, is rather then letting those ideas and sounds get away from them they round them up and harness them into something that doesn't lose it's originality. As a result Telepathe are a cross-genre hopping group who masterfully piece their influences into something whose sum is greater than their parts.

Dance Mothermight be avant garde, slightly gothic, unusual and maybe a bit like Kate Bush on hallucinogens, but that doesn't mean this record isn't listenable. Quite the opposite, actually. Dance Motheris filled with plenty of poppy moments, it's just that they are tucked away like a diamond in the rough waiting to be discovered. When you do find those moments it's awesome because it's at that point that Telepathe's ideas all slide into place and make sense. "Chromes On It, " is a perfect example of how this happens. As an off center song that sounds Bjorkian in it's aspirations it uses sounds like the Cocteau Twins to weave a blurry, wispy haze that's supplemented with a well placed bass drum and a chorus that's easier to remember than your name. Can someone say...hit?

Telepathe might hover in the shadows and write pop that is about as far from the mainstream as the earth is from the sun, but they excel at what they do. For just two people, this is a group that creates a full, rich tapestry sheet of sound that's as spooky as it is spectacular ans as if it was almost second nature to them. Dance Mother is a unearthly effort whose slightly off putting and strange songs are stupifyingly good. This is a record that may not hit you at first as being something worth returning to repeatedly, but if you do you'll find yourself wanting to listen Dance Mother again and again. Telepathe have made and impressive debut.