Heave Media

The Death Set Kills Convention

But their style might be more suitable for a live show.

The Death Set

Worldwide

Released on Nov 30, -0001

Some of the best things come from Batimore and Austrailia—crab cakes, kangaroos and dozens of other touristy stereotypes. The Death Set was added to that list a few years ago when they released their explosive first album, To EP. Since then, The Death Set has been blowing minds and eardrums in venues all around the world.

Whether you choose to believe the hype that the Baltimore City Paper spouts—who named The Death Set “Best Live Band”—or not, the band has a solid reputation for high-energy shows that always pack devoted fans into tiny venues. These frenetic lyrics and beats are made for cramped bars, though. The second this music hits your ears, you’re going to be making best friends with the stranger next to you, if only so it’s less awkward when you do the robot with them.

You can’t listen to Worldwide in a mundane situation. Almost every song on this album seems tailor-made for an extreme scenario, complete with video game sound effects. This is not the music you want to soundtrack a lazy Sunday afternoon—this is the music you want to listen to right before you rob a bank, or engage in some other ridiculous hijinks. Now, I’m not condoning these illegal activities, but I dare you to listen to “MFDS” and not feel like a complete and total badass—even just walking down the street. This 39 second song may not fulfill your need for lengthy, lyrical mash-ups, but when you’ve got a beat like that, you won’t want much else.

Not feeling like a bank robbery? Perhaps a zombie invasion is up your alley—the screeches of “Peak Oil” and the repeated “it’s everywhere, it’s everywhere” lyrics are perfectly fitted to a chase scene in a D-list zombie movie. If zombies aren’t in your foreseeable future, it’s also a pretty decent song to race bikes to. However, that can be argued for the entire album. While I would never call this a “summer album,” it would be my first choice to play at any barbeque/party/warm-weather activity. When this album can’t revive a tired scene of people; that might be a hint that you’re with the wrong people.

The Death Set is wildly inventive, and Worldwide certainly doesn’t disappoint in that category. However, while I adore the lovely British robot that introduces us to “Negative Thinking,” this album has some downsides. With an 18-song track list that clocks in at 25 minutes, you might listen the album all the way through and feel like you missed something—it can’t be over yet! But my main issue, which occurs with the albums of most punk/electronica outfits, is that I can’t help but feel like my listening experience would be so much better if I were seeing them live. Of course, there’s the argument that all bands are better live, but for me, I only feel that way towards electronica groups.

Unfortunately, The Death Set is no exception. Listening to the album is enjoyable, but I’d much rather be pushed up against people in a dingy bar than envisioning zombie attacks. Until they sweep through Chicago, I’ll be blasting Worldwide, and crafting an equally inventive and enjoyable scheme.

High point: “Moving Forward” makes you feel like you just took speed—with none of the nasty side effects.

Low point: Sometimes feeling like you’re a character in an 8-bit video game can get a little disorienting.

Quick point: They’re the first band I’ve seen with a separate MySpace for their remixes.

Posted by Alyssa Vincent on May 19, 2008 @ 12:00 am