If one were to attempt to describe Death of the Party as a musical effort, the easiest way it could be done is to describe it as a combination of early Blondie and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. That’s not CORRECT, exactly, but it’s certainly the first thing that comes to mind. Eclectic is also a good word to use; unless you spend your time scouring the world looking for odd music, chances are you’ve never heard anything quite like this before. And that’s kind of a shame, as there’s a surprisingly large amount to like about Death of the Party, and Kudu in general.
The tone of Death of the Party is infectiously cheery from the very first track, “Hot Lavaâ€, and even with tracks that are less cheery in concept, such as “Neon Graveyard†(no, really) and “King Kong (Attack of the Egomaniac)â€, it’s still up tempo and amusing. It’s also quite good, honestly, with solid electronic music backing up strong singing, and lyric writing that’s as bizarre as it is enjoyable.
In fact, the only thing that I can hold against Death of the Party is that, entertaining though it is, it’s of somewhat limited appeal. “Electronica†though it might be, it’s effectively modernized disco in a lot of respects, and love the Bee Gee’s though I do, I’d find it hard to sell one of their albums to someone else. The same applies here: unless you’re a fan of retro style electronica (or MLWtTKK), you might find this to be a bit… well, hard to swallow.
If you’re willing to look past the retro stylings (or, even better, you’re LOOKING for that sort of style), you’d do well to check Death of the Party out. It’s a fun, amusing musical effort that’s easy to enjoy if you’re willing to give it a chance. It’s catchy, not at all serious, and highly enjoyable, and if that’s what you’re into, you can’t do much better than this.
Website: Kudu
