REVIEWS:
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Bold As Brass, Charlie, Jamboree, Nice To Know, Crosswords. LOW POINTS: None.
Dizrythmia is the de facto sophomore outing from this impressive New Zealand band, so long as you don't count Second Thoughts, which was only half new songs combined with re-recordings of material from the debut. It also comes off as a very transitional work, given the reputation of Split Enz as a highly bizarre art rock outfit at this time. On here, there is an obvious mix of progressive lingering and melodic pop tendencies. But the end result is wonderful, in part because this is just really unique music. How do I begin to describe it? On Dizrythmia, Split Enz is able to create a rare brand of art rock that fuses a carnival atmosphere with honky-tonk, boogie-woogie music. Still a hefty seven-piece on this album, the band has members who can spice up these arrangements with organs, synthesizers, horns and auxiliary percussion. Sound excessive? The music works, not only because of its uniqueness, but because the songs are good.
Okay, side one meanders a little when compared to the jarring second half. But at least it starts out with the album's - and possibly the band's - best moment, "Bold As Brass," a fabulous pop song that builds from an eerily looping guitar line at the beginning, creates tension during the bass-heavy verses, and then bursts into a jolly, sing-along chorus. The music-hallish "My Mistake" follows, and it's another solid pop confection. But the true minor highlight of side one would be "Parrot Fashion Love," a stamping, ragtime style ditty with subdued, horn-augmented verses and a captivating, windy chorus. The next two songs are not as memorable, but passable. Sugar and spice is a somewhat awkward mid-tempo rocker with lots of funny noises in the background. One of the more "progressive" songs on the album, "Without A Doubt" is a slower epic that never really takes off, wandering aimlessly through a few different sections as it does, although I like how it (sort of) reprises "Parrot Fashion Love," with a similar sounding melody.
Once we hit side two, things really pick up. The album grows darker, and the songs are altogether more engaging. The shuffling "Crosswords" uses a creepy, winding melody to great effect, and there's something incredibly menacing about how the band shouts, "NAH!! NAH!! NAH!! NAH!!" toward the end of the song! But "Crosswords" may as well be "Shiny Happy People" compared to the song that follows. The haunting, marching-paced "Charlie" is, hands down, one of the scariest songs I've heard in all my life - especially when the beat pauses for that spooky synth break! And I'm not even going to go into the lyrics. Fortunately, then, the next song arrives as a wonderfully uplifting break, that being the optimistic boogie "Nice To Know." Dizrythmia concludes with "Jamboree," a fantastic mini-epic. The piano intro here is really well done, starting out somber and light, then ascending into heavy and dark, and exploding perfectly into the main body of the song. The beat swings nicely, and that shivering synth line really kicks the verses into high gear.
In conclusion, I heartily recommend this album to fans of both art rock and poppy post punk. But I have reservations - mainly, this stuff may sound confusing at first, and it can take some time to grow on you. It's certainly a strange hybrid the band creates with prog, pop, carnival organs and honky-tonk. It's a unique and intriguing one, but it's obviously not for everyone. Even stranger yet, Dizrythmia sounds nothing like the hooky synth pop singles that the band later became known for. So, as much as I like it, I can't help but hear the album as a highly transitional effort that doesn't represent the band that did "I Got You" at all. Having said that, for a transitional work, it's still outstanding.
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