music.wikisort.org - Composition

Decadence is the debut studio album by American rock band Head Automatica, released on August 17, 2004 through Warner Bros. Records. Vocalist Daryl Palumbo toured as a member of Glassjaw until early 2003, when he wrote material for a new outfit. Shortly afterwards, he formed Head Automatica with drummer Larry Gorman and producer Dan "Dan the Automator" Nakamura. Recording sessions for their debut happened in September and October 2003 at The Glue Factory in San Francisco, California, with Dan the Automator producing the majority of the songs and Howard Benson producing two of them. Decadence is a dance-rock, garage rock, and electronic rock album that takes influence from the works of Joe Jackson, Nick Lowe, and Primal Scream.

Decadence
Studio album by Head Automatica
Released	August 17, 2004
Recorded	September–October 2003
Studio	The Glue Factory, San Francisco, California
Genre	Dance-rock garage rock electronic rock
Length	37:45
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Dan the Automator Howard Benson
Head Automatica chronology
Decadence (2004) Popaganda (2006)
Singles from Decadence
"Beating Heart Baby" Released: January 31, 2005

Decadence received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom complimented the songwriting, while others thought that less than half of the songs were of good quality. It peaked at number 125 on the UK Albums Chart. Before the album's release, the band toured the United States with Thursday, appeared on the Honda Civic Tour and travelled with the Curiosa Festival. The band then promoted the album with an US West Coast tour and supported the Used on their US tour. Issues with Palumbo's Crohn's disease saw the cancellation of tours from late 2004 through to mid-2005. "Beating Heart Baby" was released as the album's lead single in January 2005.

Background and development

Since 1993, vocalist Daryl Palumbo has been a member of Glassjaw; they released two albums, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence and Worship and Tribute, in 2000 and 2002, respectively.[1] Promotion for the latter continued into 2003, when the band embarked on the SnoCore Tour in February and March 2003.[2] Around this time, MTV reported that Palumbo and the Movielife frontman Vinnie Caruana had written several songs together for an outfit referred to as H.A.[3] Some live performances with Glassjaw were halted when Palumbo had a relapse of his Crohn's disease in April 2003, resulting in the cancellation of a tour of the United Kingdom.[4]

Palumbo formed Head Automatica with fellow Glassjaw drummer Larry Gorman, who was interested after Palumbo expressed a desire to make different music. Palumbo came across producer Dan "Dan the Automator" Nakamura through some friends, who then joined the pair.[5] The new act allowed Palumbo to work on material that was "dark and futuristic, with a blend of garage and dance", which did not fit the sound of Glassjaw. Dan the Automator had worked with Eels and Primal Scream and was a member of Handsome Boy Modeling School prior to this.[6] Between June and August 2003, Glassjaw appeared on the Warped Tour and played their final show prior to an hiatus.[7][8] By this point, 19 song had been reportedly recorded for Head Automatica.[9]

Recording

Recording sessions for the album occurred between September and October 2003; in the midst of this, Dan the Automator had been working on second albums for Handsome Boy Modeling School and Gorillaz.[5][10][11] Dan the Automator produced almost every track, except for "Beating Heart Baby" and "The Razor", recording at The Automator-produced songs were recorded at The Glue Factory in San Francisco, California. Mike Plotnikoff acted as engineer for "Beating Heart Baby", "The Razor", and "Dance Party Plus"; Benson and Craig Aaronson did additional production on "Dance Party Plus".[12] As Palumbo had some heavier-sounding songs spare, he recorded "Beating Heart Baby" and "The Razor" with producer Howard Benson, who was known for his work with Cold and P.O.D., two months later.[5][13]

Mixing was split between four people: Dave Sardy did "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet", "Brooklyn Is Burning", "King Caesar", "Disco Hades II", "Solid Gold Telephone", and "I Shot William H. Macy"; Benson did "Beating Heart Baby", "The Razor", and "Dance Party Plus"; Rich Costey did "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)"; and Automator did "Head Automatica Soundsystem".[12] In a 2006 interview, Palumbo said Dan the Automator "didn't do too much" on the album, saying that they bought some beats from him while he did some engineering across the release. Palumbo went on to call him "limiting. I don't want to limit what I can do to what he's capable of [...] I don't want to work with someone who doesn't understand me".[14]

Composition and lyrics

Musically, the sound of Decadence has been described as dance-rock,[15][16] garage rock,[17] and electronic rock.[18] AllMusic reviewer Johnny Loftus wrote that the album's sound took elements of "furiously en vogue dance-punk, assemblist modern rock, and bits and pieces of the Def Jux crew's underground aesthetic".[19] Drowned in Sound writer Michael Diver said the album's best comparison was to Diamonds and Pearls (1991) by Prince, as he explained: "The low-slung funk and sleaze-pop that permeates this album would sit pretty with the Purple one".[20] Palumbo cited the works of Joe Jackson, Nick Lowe, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, and Squeeze as inspiration for the album.[5] He said it had a "serious 1978 stamp on it", explaining that over half of his music collection consisted of albums from 1978–1981.[21] Dan the Automator said they wanted to continue the sound that Big Audio Dynamite might had done "if they were coming out today, or some of the Clash, but more, like, with the combination of the hard drums, hard guitars and the electronic elements".[10]

Palumbo picked the album's title as a reference to self-indulgence and the glamour that he had avoided up to this point in his career: "A decadent lifestyle feels good," explaining that it can take a "toll on you, but it's nice sometimes to have everything feel flashy and larger than life".[5] Though Palumbo claimed that he had written around 60% of the album beforehand, Dan the Automator is listed as a co-writer on six of the songs, namely, "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet", "Brooklyn Is Burning", "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)", "King Caesar", "Disco Hades II", and "Head Automatica Soundsystem".[12][13] Palumbo said he had gotten "some beats and some production from Automator. I needed to have him fill in that gap by putting a lot of faith in his beats".[13] Palumbo co-wrote "Beating Heart Baby" with guitarist Craig Bonich, and "Dance Party Plus" with Tim Armstrong from Rancid and Dave Rhodes. Palumbo solely wrote "The Razor", "Solid Gold Telephone", and "I Shot William H. Macy". Dan the Automator did programming for nearly every track, bar "Beating Heart Baby" and "The Razor". Armstrong contributed additional vocals to "Dance Party Plus".[12]

The album's opening song, "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet", borrows a line from "Trouble Every Day" (1966) by the Mothers of Invention.[22] Loftus said "Brooklyn Is Burning" "cuts bumpy dollar store disco" against a "crackling sample" in the vein of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978) by Rod Stewart.[19] The Boston Phoenix writer Jeff Miller said that "Beating Heart Baby" comes across as At the Drive-In " pumped through a postmodern-disco sound system".[23] It starts akin to the sound of the Sweet, before shifting into Good Life territory.[20] "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)" recalls the work of Duran Duran while its lyrics see Palumbo evoke Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor.[19][24] Its lyrics see Palumbo compare living in Hollywood to living a life of lust.[25] Both "King Caesar" and "Disco Hades II" take influence from 1990s dance music as Palumbo explained that they were excessively listening to British music.[26] "The Razor" is reminiscent of works of Glassjaw and Taking Back Sunday.[20] "Dance Party Plus" starts with a hard rock intro that switches to power chords over a reggae backdrop.[27] "Head Automatica Soundsystem" is a rap rock song.[23] The album's closing track, "I Shot William H. Macy" comes across as a mix of EMF and Gang of Four, and concludes with a phone call from Cage.[12][28]

Release

In July 2003, the existence of Head Automatica was made public; alongside this, "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet" was posted online.[9] Warner Bros. Records, who had released Worship and Tribute, had first choice for the album,.[1][13] Palumbo was surprised by the label's enthusiasm to the music, as he was expecting to release material through an independent label, and was in discussion with two of them.[13] In February 2004, Spin reported that the album would be titled Tokyo Decadence and released the following month. By this point, the band's live-up expanded to seven members.[24] In March 2004, the band went on a short tour with Thursday.[29] "Dance Party Plus", "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)" and "Beating Heart Baby" were made available for streaming on June 7, 2004.[30] On June 24, 2004, Decadence was announced for release in two months' time.[31] Around this, the band appeared on a handful of dates on the Honda Civic Tour.[32] They supported the Cure as part of the Curiosa Festival in July and August 2004; in between some of these performances, the band played headlining shows.[33][34]

On August 6, 2004, a music video for "Beating Heart Baby" was posted online.[35] It had been filmed during their performance at CBGB's in New York earlier that month.[36] Decadence was released on August 17, 2004; its UK release occurred a week later.[19][37] For the artwork, Palumbo employed his friend Jane Marledge of Bantho Designs.[13] It was promoted with a West Coast US tour with Vaux, Hopesfall and Arkham the following month.[38] In October and November 2004, the band supported the Used on their headlining tour of the US.[39] Following this, the band were due to support Lostprophets on their UK tour and play a headlining show in London; however, these engagements were cancelled due to Crohn's disease.[40][41] At the end of the year, Palumbo had surgery related to Crohn's disease.[42] The band also had to cancel their support slot on the Used's UK tour in early 2005 as Palumbo was hospitalized again because of Crohn's disease shortly after landing.[43] Another headlining performance was also cancelled.[44] Palumbo was initially treated in a London facility and continued his recovery in New York City.[45]

"Beating Heart Baby" was released as the lead single from Decadence in the UK on January 31, 2005, alongside a reissue of the album.[40][46] "Beating Heart Baby" was released to US radio on February 22, 2005.[47] The band were due to support Sugarcult on the US Take Action Tour; however, due to Palumbo being hospitalized, they were replaced by Hopesfall.[48][49] In May and June 2005, the band toured the US with Acceptance, Vendetta Red and Nightmare of You.[50][51] Following this, they went on a week-long stint with Caruana's other band I Am the Avalanche as support, and further dates through to the end of the month.[52][53] During this period, the music video for "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)" was posted online.[54] Another video was made for "Beating Heart Baby"; it was posted online on July 19, 2005.[55] Further shows with I Am the Avalanche around this time were cancelled because of Palumbo's Chron's disease, which left him hospitalized.[42] They toured with theStart and then supported Finch until August 2005.[56][57] On August 7, 2005, the band had to drop off the remainder of the dates with Finch due to Palumbo's Crohn's disease flaring up.[58]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[19]
The Boston Phoenix	[23]
Drowned in Sound	[20]
Melodic	[59]
Ox-Fanzine	6/10[60]
Rolling Stone	[17]
Ultimate Guitar	10/10[27]

Decadence was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Diver felt that the album provides "track after track of dancefloor delights that should have disco doyens and emo kids smiling gleefully in tandem". He summarised that it was a release that "fully deserves its title, and is well worth your attention".[20] Rolling Stone reviewer Kirk Miller wrote that Palumbo's "violent frown" and "veiled threats come off more like an invitation than a warning" compared to his past efforts with Glassjaw. He praised the "retrofunky grooves" for being "slinky, sexy and very now. They also prove a point: Sometimes, angry white boys just gotta dance".[17] Thea Cooke of mxdwn held a similar sentiment, stating that Palumbo "replaced his angst-ridden vengeful sound with catchy, poppy hooks", displaying that he as "singing talent, even if it is just as a cock-rocker". She summarised that the album was "fast, slightly furious, and in line with the whole 'retro to be contemporary' feel".[18] The staff at Ultimate Guitar considered the album a "portion of fresh air" amongst the mainstream pop-punk scene, complimenting the band as they fused Dan the Automator's "dance beats and squiggles and Palumbo's inclination for angry rock sound". They said the lyrics were "interesting and unobtrusive and can easily make you think and laugh at the same time"[27]

Jeff Vrabel of Billboard said the pair off a "a fuzzy, R&B-inflected club sound that really doesn't sound like anything else out there right now", though "other portions come off limp and awkward" as Palumbo appear as a "self-conscious aging popster".[61] Melodic reviewer Kaj Roth wrote that while "the level of the songs goes up and down" there was "something for everyone on it".[59] Manuel Möglich of Ox-Fanzine said that "even after repeated runs through the eleven tracks, the spark that 'Decadence' is a really big album doesn't really want to jump over", mentioning that only "half of all tracks are successful".[60] Soundthesirens founder Billy Ho acknowledged that it was a "step in a new direction", however it ""still doesn’t change the fact that Mr. Palumbo’s voice meanders from extremely irritating to mildly nauseating". He added that the album was "just no fun at all. It's more like a sausage fest without the beer to inebriate the mood".[62] Loftus said the mix of sounds was not "100 percent consistent, and occasionally skates right past irony and straight into empty-headed pomposity. But in its best moments, Decadence is a dizzy paint shaker, as garish and morally bankrupt as you want your art sleaze to be".[19] Miller wrote that while the opening three tracks were "as close to perfect as anything that’s come out of the current dance-punk revival", the remainder "pales in comparison".[23]

Decadence reached number 125 on the UK Albums Chart.[63] Alternative Press ranked "Beating Heart Baby" at number 17 on their list of the best 100 singles from the 2000s.[64] Marianne Eloise of Kerrang! wrote in 2019 that following the album's release, "artists like Fall Out Boy and their protégés played with dance, rock and pop in a way that didn't sound like Head Automatica, but may have been made possible by it". She went on to mention Sonny Moore of From First to Last "transitioned from screamo to EDM as Skrillex, and more recently Lil Peep rose to prominence releasing emo rap on SoundCloud".[26] In 2022, Laura Marie Braun of Spin said "Beating Heart Baby" became an "instant crossover classic for scenesters and emo kids alike".[65]

Track listing

All songs written by Daryl Palumbo and Dan Nakamura, except where noted.[12]

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[12]

Charts

Chart performance for Decadence

Chart (2004)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart (OCC)[63]	125

References

Citations

Sources

External links

• Decadence at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

На других языках

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- [en] Decadence (album)

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[it] Decadence (Head Automatica)

Decadence è il primo album discografico degli Head Automatica, uscito il 17 agosto 2004. Le melodie vanno dal punk, arricchito da una vena funk al rock elettronico, in una miscela molto vicina sia al pop per la melodicità di alcune canzoni, che alla new wave, per il gusto di sperimentare suoni elettronici e retrò. Vanta la collaborazione di Tim Armstrong dei Rancid come guest singer.

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