Bis - data Panik etcetera

  by Tom Fogarty

published: 6 / 5 / 2014

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Review

Bis first appeared on the music scene in the mid-90s during the Britpop era, and although their music was feisty and upbeat the public's reaction was underwhelming in the most part and the band remained a highly niche act. Emerging in 1995 with ‘The Secret Vampire Soundtrack’ EP, the band’s sound was a mixture of camp fanzine-inspired punk pop, drum machines and high-pitched vocals. They quickly appeared on ‘Top of the Pops’ playing kitsch punk anthem, ‘Kandy Pop’, before they'd even managed to secure a record deal and received some acclaim from the ‘NME’, being listed in their Top 20 Cult Heroes rundown. They are, however, undoubtedly known most for penning the equally entertaining and annoying theme tune to the huge Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Network show, ‘The Powerpuff Girls’, fixing their status as cult icons for a good many years to come into the bargain. Hailing from Glasgow, the trio have played under several different names, and incarnations over the years and after originally inning to the Beastie Boys' label Grand Royal, they went on to release three albums – ‘The New Transistor Heroes’, ‘Social Dancing’ and ‘Return to Central’, before splitting up in 2003. Although they have played a few one-off reunion shows in between, they have stayed firmly out of the limelight to all intents and purposes since then. The band's two male members, Sci-Fi Stephen and John Disco, went on to form the electronic-enthused side project band Dirty Hospital, but disbanded once more after releasing just two vinyl only singles. Singer Manda Rin mainly kept herself busy during this period as a DJ, for which she received a fair amount of acclaim and kudos. The trio subsequently re-formed yet again in 2005 under the name Data Panik and recorded some tracks, which was hoped would form a definitive fourth Bis album although this turned into in effect more of an experimental series of jam sessions. This album never came to fruition although the accumulation of much of the music they made during this time is presented here, along with other unreleased Bis tracks from back-in-the-day and other assorted rarities. Released by the Do Yourself In record label, it has been given 5-star treatment - including a 180-gram white vinyl version on Record Store Day, as well as the standard CD and download editions. The naive punkish charm and rough edges have been replaced by a darker electronic sound more akin to Depeche Mode this time around; most evident in ‘Control the Radical’, ‘Minimum Wage’, and ‘Retail of the Details’. Gothic New Wave Trance is the order of the day in ‘Sense Not Sense’ and ‘Flesh Remover’.Bis do manage to prove again their knack for writing catchy toe-tapping tunes yet again, as seen in ‘Rulers and the States’ - a track that has already appeared on heavy rotation on Scottish television in the STV cities app advert, ahead of the album's release. This collection of songs will certainly please Bis aficionados and is definitely worth a listen, but aside from the catchy numbers will probably not set the music world alight. It will also surely appeal to hipsters everywhere. It is a good reminder of what the band can do and certainly shows what their music is about and could be heading towards. And if this is the direction they are taking their music in, I would like to hear more from them in the future. Hopefully it won't take them so long next time around!

Track Listing:-

1 Control the Radical
2 Minimum Wage
3 Rulers and the States
4 Cubis (I Love You)
5 Sense Not Sense
6 Mechanical Love
7 Too Much Not Enough
8 Retail of the Details
9 Music Lovers
10 The Young Mothers
11 Flesh Remover
12 (That Love Ain't) Justified
13 Insider
14 Thrill Is Yours
15 Caller Id

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/thebandbis
http://bisnation.com/
https://www.facebook.com/welovebis

Label Links:-

http://cargorecordsdirect.co.uk/collec