Personnel: Sebastien Grainger (vocals, drums).

Recording information: Studio Plateau, Montreal, Canada (02/2004-04/2004); The Chemical Sound, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (02/2004-04/2004).

Photographer: Eva Michon.

Death From Above 1979 makes their considerable racket with only bass, drums, and the occasional Moog squelch assist. This isn't a gimmick -- between Sebastien Grainger's frantic wail and the overdriven bass riffs of Jesse F. Keeler, the duo's You're a Woman, I'm a Machine pulses with a steady, sweaty energy that's punctuated with arena-sized hooks. "Blood on Our Hands" boils dance-punk nearly all the way down, leaving only a relentless hi-hat cymbal, while "Turn It Out" and "Cold War" churn on double-time rhythms and rudimentary, yet completely effective bass runs. The duo's setup certainly limits their range, which means the album can occasionally resemble one long song. But at just over a half-hour, it's over before any questions about the lack of guitars can even start to form. There are hyper indie rock flare-ups, like in the Hot Snakes/Rocket from the Crypt yelp of "Going Steady." And "Sexy Results" is a flirtatious and amplified cross of new wave and Rapture-style strut that comes complete with a cowbell upbeat. Preoccupation with the opposite sex provides some of You're a Woman, I'm a Machine's strongest moments, from Grainger's "I don't need you/I want you" clarification on "Romantic Rights" to the frenetic late-album standout "Pull Out." Other highlights include the title track's layered vocals and wiry punk revivalism, and the subtler "Black History Month," which is a nice break from the record's consistently jerking pace. In the 2000s, dance-oriented energy keeps creeping regularly into rock & roll. On You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, Death from Above 1979 makes people move by exposing the live-wire tension rock music had all along. ~ Johnny Loftus

Though the hard-driving duo Death From Above 1979 hails from Canada, that didn't stop them from being snapped up by cutting-edge NYC label Vice Records. In fact, the pair's sound has much in common with their post-punk-inspired New York contemporaries, but they differ from the pack in a major way. DFA (not to be confused with the NY electroclash label of the same initials) employs an instrumental palette consisting almost entirely of bass and drums. Jesse F. Keeler plays mind-bogglingly overdriven bass lines (and the occasional synth), providing the frenetic riffs over which Sebastien Grainger howls excitedly and bashes his drums with savage abandon. The resultant sound is a melting pot of Motorhead-like metal, stoner rock, and Pop Group/Wire-indebted post-punk, with a touch of the Boredoms' noise-is-God aesthetic thrown in for good measure. The unrelenting YOU'RE A WOMAN is a slap in the face to those who think early-2000s indie rock translates into an endless stream of Gang of Four copycats.