Everything I hear from this band lately is kitschy but that's not to say it isn't fun. On their third record, "Death of Diamonds" VHS or Beta ditch the Futureheads, Killers, post-punk revival rock style for a hard-edged House/dance inspired electronic construction.
I was blown away at the sheer lack of Rock music, even just on the first track "Breaking Bones". Lyrics are super-charged with emotion and dramatism, (breaking bones just to prove I can feel) to create the catchy instant satisfaction of repeated House-music-type phrases. In House there's not the opportunity to build up concepts throughout as much as there is in rock because there otherwise would not be time for the necessary repetition that characterizes the genre and gives it its hypnotic power. So, fusing these two sounds isn't that easy to do with the high quality VHS or Beta manages to do here.
This sort of transition from rock to electro isn't terribly uncommon these days and you can observe it in the difference between Friendly Fires' first record and their second. In fact it reminds me of James Murphy's clever "I heard that you and your band have sold your guitars and bought turntables" line in "Losing My Edge".
The band repurposes house and club sounds for a slightly more rock purpose to create tracks like "Everybody" that could easily be put into a rock arrangement but simply have a different aesthetic. Instead of being lead instruments, the guitars on this track are made into light rhythm and accompaniment taking a backseat to piano and synth.
I poo-pooed this album at first but it's growing on me.
Grade: B
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