Girls on Film: I Sense a Rhythm Humming in a Frenzy

[Note: I'm going to give an album review at some point in this post, but I thought that it would be helpful to provide a little background first, so you'll know why I like it so much. In other words, I am no longer capable of writing a short, simple post.]

One of my favorite sayings is, "The future isn't what it used to be." Aside from the fact that it's one sentence that references three tenses, I like it because it describes how things that were once considered futuristic may not seem that way in the present. Some people feel that way about New Wave music, but I don't. Here's why I love New Wave: Because I'm old enough to remember what was on the radio before it existed.

Although it had its genesis earlier, I would say that New Wave hit critical mass in 1979. So, what was out there for the discerning radio listener to hear in 1979? Well, there was mainstream Rock -- the sound, style and hairdos of which had not changed one iota for about a decade. And then there was Disco, which was all about dancing and...well, that was it. Soul and R&B? Sorry, they were co-opted by Disco. Yes, Punk existed, but it didn't get airplay. So, if you didn't like Rock, and you didn't like Disco (which I didn't, even at my tender age), you were basically screwed.

And then, New Wave happened. It evolved from Punk, but it replaced that genre's outright fury with a more resigned cynicism. And unlike Punk, New Wave wasn't cynical about the present, it was cynical about the future; thus, the music sounded like it had come back through time, straight out of some dystopian Brave New World. In other words (and much to the relief of my sensitive ears), they turned down the fucking guitars. To me, it sounded like the future.

Don't get me wrong; my own tastes have evolved to where I now appreciate great guitar work, but at the time, the instrument was so obligatory in music that I resented it. It didn't help that nobody had done anything new with the electric guitar since Clapton and Page were in The Yardbirds. The instrument that defined Rock had grown stale, and so the genre that existed to fight the establishment had become the establishment. Of course, the best way to rebel against any establishment is to do things the exact opposite way.

Thus came New Wave, with its electronic instruments and lush melodies, fey European (or Euro-style) guys, and a large number of (shock horror) female vocalists. This was the Anti-Rock, and I was as happy to see it as Rockers were horrified. But the genius was, you could still dance to it, which allowed New Wave's cynical message to reach a wider audience than it might otherwise have done. (Of course, New Wave did employ guitars too; my sister was good friends with Berlin guitarist Ric Olsen, and he struck me as a nice, down-to-earth guy...at least, nicer than he had to be to a friend's kid brother.)

Many elements of New Wave made their way into mainstream Pop and remained there; but in the Alternative scene, synthesizers became extinct in 1991, as Grunge somehow became the sound of a generation. But now, synths are back in a big way, thanks to niche players like Ladytron and Miss Kittin, and breakthrough bands like The Killers.

Enter Girls on Film.


Girls on Film (clockwise from top left):
Metro, Rio, Kazhmir and Machine

Danceteria, the new CD from Florida band Girls on Film, may be the first genuine New Wave CD I've heard in...well, in I don't know how long. Unlike artists such as the aforementioned Ladytron, Girls on Film do not seem to be in it for the irony; it's obvious that they simply love the genre -- because if they didn't, then they wouldn't be so good at it. There's a fine line between tribute and send-up, and while Girls on Film have a great sense of humor, they are laughing with the material, not at it.

I don't always mention the look of a particular artist, but in the case of Girls on Film it's an absolute necessity, so let's get it out of the way: They nailed it. Ridiculous as this may sound, I could tell that I would like the album when I first saw the cover. But I knew that if they were that careful with the look, then they would be careful with the sound, too. Anyway, with their teased hair and Blade Runner - inspired makeup, Girls on Film look like a pastiche of classic 80's artists, but not like anyone in particular, because they incorporate some of their own style into the look. Still, one can easily picture them playing the prom band in an episode of Square Pegs, or shooting at the walls of heartache in Miami Vice. And then there are the band members' high-tech names -- what a beautiful touch.

As for the sound, I turned out to be right: They nailed that, too. Their influences are obvious, but diverse: Lene Lovich, Missing Persons, Berlin, and obviously Duran Duran, to name a few. Lead vocalist Rio gets the clipped New Wave phrasing just right, often incorporating the little yelps that Dale Bozzio and Cyndi Lauper liked to do (remember that Lauper started her career in the New Wave band Blue Angel before becoming a Pop star).

Musically, the band's sound is more "hardcore" New Wave. There are none of the sweeping melodies of, say, A Flock of Seagulls; this music is meant to be heard on a dancefloor under a blinding strobe light. And most gratifying (to me, at least) is that this band is actually a band: Four women who write and perform all of the sounds that you hear. I would especially like to single-out Metro for her keyboard and programing work. For some reason, most female-fronted New Wave bands had male keyboardists, and even the all-female bands usually left the sequencing to someone else. I don't know why that was (and is), but I'm happy to see Girls on Film buck the trend; and of course, Metro's keyboard work sounds as good as any of the men from the vintage era.

As for the rhythm section, I don't know whether Kazhmir uses a Steinberger bass or if Machine uses Simmons drums, but it would make the 80's circle complete if they do.

Thematically, the songs on Danceteria are as true to the period as the music is. 80's songs often involved technology, either overtly or metaphorically, and the first track, "Remote Control" follows that tradition, with the title referring to an emotionally manipulative lover. Other popular New Wave themes were paranoia of mega-corporations, paranoia of the mega-media, and paranoia of megatons (i.e., nuclear war). Here, those themes are explored in tracks like "Toxic Society" and "War on the Floor". Of course, there are also plenty of songs about relationships and sex, such as "Secretary", "Invisible Man" and "Love Robot".

For me, the most pleasant surprise on Danceteria was the lyrics. Throbbing, electronic dance songs don't necessarily need creative lyrics, but Girls on Film delivered them anyway. "War on the Floor" somehow manages to provide social commentary and boogie-down lyrics at the same time: Things are exploding, babe, security is gone / The fear is climbing is followed by the chorus, Let's fight this war on the dance floor. It shouldn't work at all, but it does.

"House on Fire" is a woman's philosophical take on losing everything she owns: Yeah, I said goodbye to the bills that I didn't pay / And I don't need a TV/VCR anyway / It was gone in the middle of a scorching flame. And "Love Robot" is perhaps the quintessential New Wave melding of sex and technology: So mechanic, so dynamic / You're a calculating fiend / So hypnotic, so robotic, my electronic dream.

I realize that there are plenty of people who hate the New Wave sound, and you may be one of them. But the thing about that is, you're wrong. Even if it accomplished nothing other than providing an alternative to Rock and Disco when one was desperately needed, New Wave would deserve to be celebrated. But thanks to its strong influence on modern bands who are picking up the torch, the New Wave sound is no longer trapped in its original era. I always thought that New Wave sounded like the future; and Girls on Film have just proved that the future is what it used to be.