The debut EP by Brooklyn-based trash-pop outfit
Shock Cinema is hugely enjoyable, a clash of the aesthetics of
the Cramps,
Bauhaus,
Blondie, and Psychotronic magazine set to poppy synth-garage hooks. Lead singer Destiny Montague -- a name so thoroughly awesome that it has to be a pseudonym -- thankfully avoids the tendency so prevalent in current new wave revivalist female singers to go for the
Lene Lovich/
Dale Bozzio hiccup. If anything, the singer she most resembles is
Pylon's Vanessa Briscoe at her least psychotic, and propulsive songs like the nervous, rushing opener "Breathe Again" and the breathless dance-punk "Death in Texas" fit her conversational vocal style perfectly. The band is anchored by the post-punk bass-as-melody style of
...And You Will Know Us by Our Trail of Dead's Danny Wood, giving the synths, drums, and guitars ample room to explore strictly rhythmic ideas, as on the throbbing, disjointed "Art of Noir" (one of two songs also available as remixes at the EP's end). The songs are uniformly excellent, the CD's design drips with retro cool, and the videos available at the usual online sources suggest that the spazzily animated band is a fun live act as well.
Shock Cinema have the complete package, then. Points for the album title's anagram of a favorite actress, as well. ~ Stewart Mason