DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979
You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine hails from 2025 and is a SEALED limited
edition LP pressed on Pink & Silver Splatter Vinyl for Rocktober. Released in 2004, You're a Woman, I'm a
Machine is the debut album by Canadian duo Death From Above 1979, known
for its aggressive, bass-driven dance-punk sound. Tracks like "Romantic
Rights" and "Black History Month" became underground hits.
Today, the album is seen as a key influence on 2000s indie and punk scenes.
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.
1.
Turn It Out
2. Romantic Rights
3. Going Steady
4. Go Home, Get Down
5. Blood On Our Hands
6. Black History Month
7. Little Girl
8. Cold War
9. You're A Woman, I'm A Machine
10. Pull Out
11. Sexy Results