Monday, October 8, 2007

Etymology of Datarock

When the New York Yankees lose a game in the playoffs, it usually means the rest of my day goes quite poorly. I understand that's not something many non-sports fans can understand, but it happens. In general, I would disappear into seclusion and it is nearly impossible to get me back into a good mood. On Friday, however, I was committed to willing myself back into a good mood so I would be able to make it to a show on Friday. This was the data used into swinging me back into a good mood:

Fact: many great musical acts were in town,
Fact: it was the beginning of a long weekend,
Fact: the impending shit-show, Fleet Week, was on the horizon,
Fact: F-14s were delivering good vibes
Fact: the weather was pleasant
Fact: I had tickets to go see Datarock at the Rickshaw Stop

Conclusion: Snap out of it. It's just a game.

Datarock is a Norwegian band who describes their sound of a mixture as musical styles that they like. Simple enough. Their Wikipedia entry classifies them as Dance-punk, Electro Rock, and Post-punk revival. Clearly this is an odd combination, but it is true. It is nearly impossible to bundle their sound into one contrived definition. So, let's analyze what we know about Datarock and see if they are worthy of the name.

DATA //
da·tum [dey-tuhm, dat-uhm, dah-tuhm] noun, (singular)
da·ta [dey-tuh, dat-uh, dah-tuh] (plural)
1. a single piece of information, as a fact, statistic, or code; an item of data.

ROCK //
rock [rok]
1. to move or sway to and fro or from side to side.
2. to be moved or swayed powerfully with excitement, emotion, etc.
3. to dance to or play rock music.
4. (of popular music) to have the driving beat characteristic of rock.
5. to shake or disturb violently

They opened their set with 'New Song' and rocked it hard, loud and fast. After that, they proceeded to touch a variety of musical genres. It was like going to a concert festival where one band played every stage. And they delivered an impressive performance.

Fact: I moved and swayed to and fro or from side to side.
Fact: I was moved powerfully with excitement, emotion, etc.
Fact: I danced to rock music.
Fact: The music being played had the driving beat characteristic of rock.
Fact: It shook and disturbed me violently (when I tripped up the stairs.) Yes. up. shut up. It was a long day.

Conclusion: Datarock maintains a musical backbone as they explore the limits of their versatility and creative innovation while melding a variety of genres into an extraordinarily unique collection of songs that truly rock.

1 comment:

  1. I know my attempts at trying to be clever are so weak.. but just give me a break, it's been a long weekend.

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