Localized Music: Chandeliers, Dirty Moves

Dirty Moves, the new album from psychedelic-disco quartet Chandeliers, consists of 33 “impovs and jams” recorded over a period of four years on a four-track, re-cut in 48 minutes of continuous music. Self-indulgent? Definitely. But what’s truly startling is how cohesive such an exercise in slapdashery can be. Rough-and-tumble electronica, military-style dance beats, and ambient keyboard tones all bump up against each other with wild abandon. The end result of tracks like “Pharaoh’s Fury"—with its militant blend of electronic drum beats, ambient and swirling guitars, and synthesized soundscapes straight from 1981—suggests a long-lost collaborative film score helmed by Timbaland, John Carpenter, and Kevin Shields. It's weird, but it works.

Any exercise in abundance is bound to have some missteps, though, a lot about Moves simply doesn’t work. The screechy, abrupt segues between tracks blow the band’s hard-earned sonic transcendence. It’s as if Chandeliers stumbled upon a compelling musical idea but threw it away just as quickly, resulting in considerable frustration. (See the calm downtempo of “Triumph” being hi-jacked by the electro-funk of “Ravecrunk.”) Though Dirty Moves doesn’t always succeed on its own terms, the sheer joyful audacity inherent in the band’s creativity ensures that Moves is a must-hear album. Grade: B

Here's an older track, "Mr. Electric," to get you started: