After scoring a surprise MTV hit with "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe,"
Whale returns three years later as an older, wiser, and different band with
All Disco Dance Must End In Broken Bones. By adding more members,
Whale have strengthened their sound and manage to tackle more musical styles than their past releases. The band has toned down the unrefined trash-rock of their 1995 release
We Care a notch or two, which results in an album that stands a much better chance of reaching a wider audience. It also doesn't hurt having not one, but two great rock producers (
Brad Wood and
Chris Potter) manning the controls. The album kicks off with the
Portishead-esque "Crying at Airports," but the
Whale of old returns with "Deliver the Juice," which contains a sound similar to the band's earlier releases. The album's first single, "Four Big Speakers," is a speedy dance track which contains a duet between singer Cia Soro and guitarist Henrik Schyffert, while the slow and sultry "Roadkill" features both Soro and second guitarist Jon Jefferson Klingberg on vocals.
All Disco Dance Must End In Broken Bones is easily the band's most ambitious and best album. ~ Greg Prato