Austinist Capsules: Death From Above 1979 & Jarvis Cocker

Death From Above 1979
Heads Up

This reissue of the late, great dance-metal duo's first EP represents what little "rare" material there is to be had in the wake of the band's abrupt break-up earlier this year. Everything that made the 2004 triumph You're A Woman, I'm A Machine so massive is here: squalid distorted bass, caveman drumming, soulful shouted vocals, and just a touch of vocoder for old time's sake. DFA79 had the uncanny ability to channel old-school stadium rock through indie name-droppability without sounding stale or hyped-up—the band's identity was co-opted by everyone from marginalized electro-clashers to stadium rockers (they opened for Nine Inch Nails) to indie kids who couldn't decide whether metal was cool again (yet? ever?). But at heart they were simply a vicious rock band, and this 14-min debut serves as a fitting epitaph.

--Matthew DeWitt

Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis

After dissolving Pulp, Jarvis Cocker simply disappeared for a while. His solo debut jettisons the keyboards and some of the quirkiness that defined Pulp, and seems to shoot for more of a rock quartet sound. The production is still polished, and the songs are still lovesick, but the overall effect is quite different. Cocker seems content to actually try being catchy again, making Jarvis more accessible than anything Pulp did following Different Class. Even the confessional ballads feel less vitriolic and more self-assured than past works. The record may strike some as playing it safe, but it sure is likable and well-crafted. Standouts include "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" and "Baby's Coming Back To Me". We'll keep our fingers crossed for a Jarvis appearance at SXSW 2007.

--Tom Thornton