Over the past few years DFA records have become a label synonymous with class acts. Often seen as the centre piece for the dance punk genre that has been creeping around indie kids CD collections for the past few years. You can’t go to a decent music club nowadays without hearing the sound of LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture or Hot Chip bursting out of the speakers. So why the hell have they subjected us to Prinzhorn Dance School? A trio from Brighton who create sparse, random outbursts of social commentary over stuttering bass lines and the most amateurish drumming I’ve ever had the misfortune to hear.

The best way to describe what’s going on here is to compare it to the ancient art of Chinese Water Torture. I’ve often thought, “it can’t be that bad surely?” Water dripping on your forehead? I mean, it’s going to get on your nerves after a while, but torturous? In fact, it wasn’t until the sneaky Chinese fellows thought up the idea of immobilizing the subject and adding a fixed variable water drop schedule that the stress was really caused to the victim. If only they had the Prinzhorn Dance School album back then in the early 1900′s.

The album is 43 minutes long. With 16 tracks. After track 2 (Do You Know Your Butcher) I was a little confused at the brittleness of it all, but impressed all the same with the choice of song title. After track 8 (I Do Not Like Change) I started to get a little irate. My neck seized up and my leg started to shake uncontrollably. I felt aggressive, snappy, like I could crack at any time. This was after maybe 20 minutes. An impressive feat wouldn’t you say? By the time single Crackerjack Docker came on I was ready to crumble under the sheer force of the repetitive bollocks my ears were subjecting me to. I give up, I surrender. Please make it stop!

Chinese water torture has nothing on these bastards.
11%

Links
Prinzhorn Dance School [official site]