Sometime about 12 years ago, all the people that were into rock music stopped dancing to it. (I don’t mean balls-stapled-to-a-can-of-Aqua-Net-rock music, because no one ever did anything but stomp on Pabst Blue Ribbon empties listening to that.) The kind of rock that began with “24 Hour Party People” subjects Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays started many a dance party in the shameless ’80s, only to be replaced by the modern rock “nod” we know and love.
Danceable rock does exist: The DFA production team represents the raw punk end of the spectrum, and bands such as !!! and Out Hud (which happen to share three members and a kindred style) represent the beat ’n’ bass end. Where !!! are hard and impersonal, relying on throbbing drum textures, Out Hud feast upon the !!! bass style and their own Stratocaster ecstasy, piecing together the all-too-familiar instruments into seemingly trance-informed dance-rock with real instruments. Each member of the five-piece shifts from instrument to instrument to mixing board, basking in the warm glow of the drum machine, chiming in with pretty and plain feminine vocals. They are always immaculately precise, at home in a bedroom (60 dB) or while grinding against fellow indie rockers in the club (100 dB). Out Hud will perform June 1 at the Casbah.
