She Wants Revenge

Los Angeles Joy Division-obsessed duo She Wants Revenge blend electronic beats with goth pop misery on their self-titled Geffen debut. DJs Justin Warfield and Adam "Adam 12" Bravin may have crafted the post-punk equivalent of XTC alter-egos Dukes of Stratosphear's psychedelic rock tribute Chips from the Chocolate Fireball, but there is suspicion as to whether or not it was intentional. Like fellow reanimators Interpol, the Bravery, or even the mysterious Lansing-Dreiden, She Wants Revenge love early Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, and pre-Land of Rape and Honey Ministry, but what makes their impeccably crafted, highly listenable/danceable collection of angst so dubious is its utter duplicity. There's nothing wrong with honoring your influences by copping a few moves and singing in a fake British accent like Green Day with the intentions of updating a genre that many potential listeners are too young to have experienced first-hand, but it's another thing to do it without even the slightest deviation. ~ James Christopher Monger