It's about
keeping
our friendships
live...
not having our friends die
It's about
preserving
our community
not destroying it
or not drinking
s&0& at all
Office of Student Life
University of Oregon
v__
/ \ \ V.
Disco with
a message
Disco and the halfway
to Discontent
‘Clinton’
“Disco and the halfway to Dis
content” is the first album release
from “Clinton,” which is com
prised of the same members of
the indie-pop duo Cornersliop.
“Clinton” brings a world of in
fluence to its music, with one
half of the outfit being a native of
India and the other a citizen of
the United Kingdom.
Although Tinder Sigh and Ben
Ayres, the primary songwriters
and musicians, have encoun
tered considerable success with
their Cornershop releases, they
wanted a different outlet for their
most recent effort.
Unlike its earlier indie-rock of
ferings, “Clinton” offers listeners
an excursion into funky disco
beats, 1980s hip-hop samples
and modern French nu-house.
The album is full of dance-floor
influences with no standout sin
gles but a solid 12-track offering.
Like the political figure behind
the name, “Clinton” brings a lit
tle advocacy along with its break
beats.
The album begins with “Peo
ple Power in the Disco Hour,” a
five-minute indulgence in solid
beats and socio-political catch
phrases. Over a consistent dance
floor rhythm, Sigh boasts “Disco
is the halfway to a full discon
tent. There’s gonna be a people
power in the disco hour.”
The album continues on this
post-modern disco groove up to
the fourth track, “Hip-Hop
Bricks.” From here the album
shifts into a collage of early 1980s
and late 1990s sounds, combin
ing dance-friendly hip-hop beats
with synthesizers and the robot
ic stylings of vocoder lyrics.
On the sixth track, “G.T.
Road,” the album falls back on
some of its Indian roots. This
track, however, is far from an
homage to Ravi Shankar. A repet
itive sitar riff is interwoven with
the sounds of a climaxing female
and a four-scale drum beat.
Next is “Hot for May Sound,”
which could be taken right off an
early Comershop release, with its
catchy pop lyrics and radio
friendly tunes.
The pop leanings continue for
the next two tracks, leading into
a one-minute, sexually powered
segue titled “Mr. President,”
making clear reference to the
band’s namesake.
The remainder of the album is
full of innovative dance tracks
that are both creative and pleas
ing to the casual listener. With
“Clinton,” the Comershop mas
terminds have tastefully taken
the best of disco and given it a
fresh face for the new millenni
um.
“Disco and the halfway to Dis
content” is like mind candy:
sweet to the senses, but it won’t
rot your teeth.
By Eric Pfeiffer