Astralwerks Beat: The Dissociatives

A Monthly Check-in on Sounds Coming From Music Spectrum Supporter, Astralwerks


I was walking down the street listening to my Discman®, the Dissociatives as my soundtrack, and if it had been a movie, there would’ve been a swooshing sound of flashbacking to bring me back to high school days listening to my Walkman®, the Hoodoo Gurus as my soundtrack. What created the flashback feeling is the way the guitar and beats of the Dissociatives charge you with an energy, inviting you right in, and I wanted to learn every drumfill and guitar check swing strum.

The groove-jammed rock of the Hoodoo Gurus had been my constant companion through high school road trips, walks, anytime I could put on my headphones. In the process, I had learned every nook and cranny of those songs. I remember being on a 30-day wilderness canoe trip, an unbearably long time to go without music. In the middle of a lake, the waves beating us back against the shore, the wind and weariness made conversation with my sternsman impossible, so I sang in my head (and a little bit outloud) Hoodoo Gurus’ “What’s My Scene?” I played that song in my head to get to that climatic moment where everything comes to a stop before charging ahead again.

When I was listening to the Dissociatives, they made me want to know their album that well, too. I want it to be a well-worn sweatshirt that is so comfortable that you can live inside it.

While the Hoodoo Gurus land in the American Dance Rock section of the Spectrum, the Dissociatives are much more out of the English Dance Rock side of things. They’ve got that Eurorock and Electronica flavor, so it’s not surprising that they’re on Astralwerks. Daniel Johns’ vocals (and the production of it) sounds reminiscent of Turin Brakes coupled with a much more driving beat.

Part of the appeal of wanting to camp out and learn these tunes comes from their shape. These songs move, grow, fall back, and take you on that tour. “Thinking in Reverse” has a tight, pop rock beat, with a chorus that hints even more at Beatles rock, but when it hits the bridge, it’s a drawbridge that rises and sends you flying off into the sky.

There’s also a little creepiness to the sound. The album opens with “We’re Much Preferred Customers” has a foreboding air. “Horror with Eyeballs” marches along with a haunted carnival carousel backbeat. It’s an odd story, but the chorus makes me think you could use it to talk about Noah, the flood, and the Ark (“All of this time on my hands/So far has gone to feeding my animals”).

Thanks to The Dissociatives and Katie @ Astralwerks for the review CD.