On Jellyfiss, Dot.s dwell in juxtaposition. Set atop a rigid, click-tracked foundation, their songs nonetheless ebb and flow like something living, breathing, and organic. Sure, it helps that brass, guitars, percussion and other “real” instruments round out these songs in spots, but it’s more than just that — Dot.s manipulate their electronics, beats, and synths in a way that makes them feel loose, unpredictable and less structured than they would be in lesser hands.
Part of what sets Jellyfiss apart is the pace at which the songs unfold and at which they’re played. After a rambling intro from our “narrator,” Dainty Loo Loo, who is apparently a dying man recalling some scatterbrain memories, we get to the almost seven-minute opener, “So Reticent.” Unfolding at a deliberate pace, it maintains a consistent groove while dynamics rise and fall and an intermittent gang vocal glides deftly on top. It’s got a hook to die for, and at seven minutes, it’s a dance song that serves its purpose well without overstaying its welcome.
Other than the few interludes from Dainty Loo Loo, most of the songs on Jellyfiss take the same path and maintain the same general sound and feel. Still, nothing here feels rehashed. Set towards the middle of the album, “Milicent” has a tropical feel paired with pitch-shifted synths, while the closer, “Varicose and Wild,” is a krautrock meets post-punk stunner. Throughout, the record remains quirky and weird — and throughly enjoyable. Using a word like “fun” to describe Jellyfiss makes it sound like a throwaway record, one intended to last the life of the party and nothing more. But the adjective certainly fits, even despite the album’s considerable substance.
Unlike much of what might be generally called dance music, there’s something more going with Dot.s’ sound, something less generic and faceless, something more irrepressible. I wouldn’t hesitate to draw a parallel to the Talking Heads. With their early to mid-career albums Fear of Music, Remain in Light, and Speaking in Tongues, the Talking Heads took the influence of disco, with all of it’s rigid, sterile tendencies, deconstructed it and put it back together with samples, international influences, loud staccato guitars and even weirder synths than were already present. In the process, the Talking Heads helped to advance the genre and create new wave.
There might not be a name or genre for what Dot.s are doing with their music, but Jellyfiss seems to do the same thing a Talking Heads album would do: advance dance music to a place that feels more organic, more exciting, and, ultimately, more lasting than most music from the genre. Dot.s create music with a clear personality, which is something not only lacking in dance music, but most music in general.
More Info
Bandcamp: dotssotsdots.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @dotsdotsdotsdots