Dishes Disease / Rancid

Artist: Breakbeat Era
Album: Our Disease / Rancid [Single]
Released in: 1999

So, yes, Breakbeat Era only have one full album, but they also have a small cluster of singles. Apparently, I own this one. I only have two comments on it.

• Listening to Rancid again made me realize I should have included in the list of good songs below. It's quite enjoyable, from the Portishead-like guitar in the beginning to the searing vocals. And maybe I should have been less harsh on Breakbeat Era since three good songs is not an inconsiderable achievement.
• The rest of the EP is a couple of remixes and one B-side. The remixes are not credited to anyone so they're presumably by Breakbeat Era itself and they're kind of .... boring. My harshness in re: Breakbeat Era's boring beats remains in place.
  

Dishes-Obscene

Artist: Breakbeat Era
Album: Ultra-Obscene
Released in: 1999

Breakbeat Era are DJ Die, Roni Size and vocalist Leonie Laws. They only ever released this one album -- my (completely unfounded) guess is that DJ Die and Leonie were a couple and then they split up. The one time I saw DJ Die spin in person (in 2002?), there was no Leonie Laws backing him up, but there was a similarly small, dark and attractive woman MC'ing.

Anyway, I had fond memories of this album, but listening to it now I find it rather disappointing. The basic sound is the darker, hard-thumping side of 90's d'n'b that's also found in Reprazent (no surprise there, given the personnel overlap). Laws is on vox, and man, is she angry. She snarls, threatens, tosses around insults (Here's to another / crap weekend / You lied to yourself / And you s*** on all your friends), and generally goes to town. This works on the songs Bullitproof and Time 4 Breaks where her voice and the beats really work together to create a powerfully emotional package (please ignore the anime montage behind the youtube video for Time 4 Breaks...). The rest of the time, Leonie's just going on up there and not only do her lyrics get more enigmatic/inane (Emma may look like a man / but she sucks spice[?] / she sucks my life), but I feel like the guys are letting her down in terms of the beats. It's the same boring breaks over and over. AMG doesn't seem to mind, but Pitchfork calls it a disposable album. I'm leaning more towards Pitchfork.

P.S. If you're reading this, comment. Please. Just 'hi' is fine.

New Dishes

Artist: The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Album: New Tricks
Released in: 2000
Provenance: England

I was dreading this moment in the Dishes Project. A friend from England burned me a copy of this CD, I was a bit put off by the band name, and I ignored it for apparently the seven years that have elapsed since. However, I had not fully realized that the Bonzos are to be filed under humor (cf. Flight of the Conchords). I was pleasantly surprised by the silliness (watch The Intro and the Outro), the adept satires of British pop genres, and the very Monty-Python-like Shirts (not on youtube, sadly). Seven years later, thanks Amy!

Music Has the Right to Dishes

The Dishes Project was on vacation for a few weeks, but now it's back in business.

Artist: Boards of Canada
Album: Music Has the Right to Children
Released in: 1998

This album was very well-received critically. But all I really think about when I think of Boards of Canada is the song Roygbiv. The youtube recording can't do justice to its beauty (and for god's sake don't actually watch the hideous fan-made video), but it might give some idea of the atmosphere. Sweet, nostalgic, warm, with a melody that captures the essence of childhood happiness. One of my favorite tracks of all time.

(All right. I admit it. The rest of the album is pretty good, too.)

Best of Dishondie

Artist: Blondie
Album: Best of Blondie
Released in: 1981
Perfect?: Pretty close

Alternate Careers Which Have Not Been Pursued:

• dancer
• rare book seller
  
• dog walker
• president
• archaeologist
  
• lead singer of a Blondie cover band

I could have worn punky outfits. I could have sung that song. It would have been great.

Dishytes

Artist: Black Dog Productions
Album: Bytes
Released in: 1993
Reaction: a little snore

This album is allegedly seminal in the idm scene... as seminal as early Aphex Twin and Autechre. Well, not for me. I found it pretty boring, with the exception of Track 9 which had some pretty moments. I actually only listened to half the CD before continuing on, but then read some stellar reviews of it and decided to give it a second chance. Second chance = still boring. Ah well. Can't love 'em all.

Dishegenic

Aritst: Bjork
Album: Homogenic
Released in: 1997

This album received ecstatic reviews and inspired some amazing videos. Yet, I remain not the biggest Bjork fan in the world. The End.