Sunday Music Spotlight - You Say Party! We Say Die!

It’s a story you’ve heard a thousand times before: a group of friends forms a bicycle gang, only to have the weather force them indoors. Stuck together, away from their bikes, they decide to form a band. When one of them overhears a woman singing to herself and convinces her to join them, the band is ready to take over the world. Ok, so you’ve never heard a story quite like this before, but be glad you have now. Because without it we wouldn’t have You Say Party! We Say Die!

YSP! WSD! practices a type of musical alchemy they refer to as dance-punk. On the surface that term doesn’t seem to work, conjuring images of Donna Summer singing with The Ramones. But somehow this band manages to pull it out, producing music that has punk sensibilities yet makes you want to get up and shake it. A big part of that is the vocal work of lead singer Becky Ninkovic, who’s raw enough to be punk but has enough polish to be believable as a dance icon.

The band first broke onto the Vancouver music scene with their 2004 EP dansk wad . The EP was named as a tribute to their fans, who the band referred to as their “Dance Squad”. They set off on tours of Canada, North America, and Europe before finally finding time to release a full album in 2005. The album was Hit the Floor, and the critical response pushed the band into the public eye. The followup came in 2007 with Lose All Time, and YSP! WSD! shows no signs of letting up.

“Teenage Hit Wonder”

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“You said you wanted me, but I don’t want you”. Yep, that pretty much sums up what being a teenager means to many people. This track really highlights Ninkovic’s vocals and the band’s overal tight arrangements.

“Downtown Mayors Goodnight, Alley Kids Rule!”

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The intro of this song perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the track. Pay close attention to the masterful drumming on throughout. Overall this is a song that’s guaranteed to make you want to move.

Videos
“The Gap”

“Opportunity”, live

(you can watch the whole concert at FabChannel)

Links
Buy Lose All Time
Official Site
MySpace