Saint Dymphna (album)

Saint Dymphna
Studio album by Gang Gang Dance
Released 5 September 2008
Recorded Mid-2008
Genre Experimental rock, electroclash, worldbeat
Length 44:09
Label The Social Registry, Warp
Producer Tim DeWitt
Gang Gang Dance chronology
RAWWAR
(2007)		 Saint Dymphna
(2008)		 Kamakura (2010)
Singles from Saint Dymphna
  1. "House Jam"
    Released: 11 September 2008
  2. "First Communion"
    Released: 16 March 2009

Saint Dymphna is the self-produced fourth studio album by American experimental music band Gang Gang Dance, released in 2008 by The Social Registry. It received positive reviews from critics.

Critical reception

"Desert Storm"
The musical construction of "Desert Storm" explores ideas from several genres and is typical of Gang Gang Dance's composition style.[1] The song also exemplifies Liz Bougatsos' varying vocal delivery.[2]
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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubB−[4]
Blender[5]
The Guardian[2]
The Irish Times[6]
Pitchfork Media8.5/10[7]
Q[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
Spin[11]

Media response to Saint Dymphna was generally positive; aggregating website Metacritic reported a normalised rating of 78 out of 100 in October 2008 based on 27 critical reviews.[3] Drowned in Sound's John Semple praised Gang Gang Dance's expansion of their sonic palette and noted that the album offers "genuine moments of hope and salvation amongst the unrest".[12] Marc Masters of Pitchfork Media claimed that "the newfound clarity produces neither thinness nor tedium, but simply a direct, unadulterated power".[7] AllMusic's Thom Jurek explained that the record is unique and the band's most fully realised project to date.[1] These positive comments were encapsulated by Jody White of No Ripcord, who gave the album a maximum rating of ten out of ten by praising the band for a memorable album full of challenging and genre-defining sounds.[13]

Slant Magazine's M. Clark gave Saint Dymphna a rating of three-and-a-half stars out of five, one of the lowest that it received from notable publications, and commented that Gang Gang Dance's energy "often falls flat and their eclecticism is more distracting than compelling".[10] Maddy Costa of The Guardian also suggested that the album is eclectic, but gave it a favourable rating by concluding that it is "arranged with exquisite precision".[2] Reed Fischer of Paste claimed that the record is "a dangerously sane blueprint for producers trying to capture what "futuristic" sounds like right now".[14] Saint Dymphna figured highly in several end-of-year best album lists for 2008, notably, at number three by Cokemachineglow,[15] at number five by The Wire,[15] at number nine by Tiny Mix Tapes,[15] and at number 13 by Drowned in Sound.[16] It was named Best Album of 2008 by FACT.[17]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Bebey"   4:53
2. "First Communion"   3:05
3. "Blue Nile"   3:10
4. "Vacuum"   4:13
5. "Princes" (featuring Tinchy Stryder) 4:26
6. "Inners Pace"   4:16
7. "Afoot"   3:25
8. "House Jam"   4:45
9. "Interlude (No Known Home)"   1:16
10. "Desert Storm"   5:10
11. "Dust"   5:30
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No. Title Length
12. "House Jam" (XXXChange Remix) 4:59
13. "House Jam" (Hot Chip Remix) 7:01

Release history

Region Date Label Format(s) Catalog
Japan 5 September 2008 P-Vine Records CD PCD-22316[18]
United Kingdom 20 October 2008 Warp CD, digital download, LP WARP171[19]
United States 21 October 2008 The Social Registry TSR050[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jurek, Thom. "Saint Dymphna – Gang Gang Dance". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Costa, Maddy (October 17, 2008). "Electronic review: Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". The Guardian. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Reviews for Saint Dymphna by Gang Gang Dance". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  4. ↑ Mincher, Chris (October 20, 2008). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". Blender (75): 74. November 2008.
  6. ↑ "Rock/Pop". The Irish Times. November 7, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Masters, Marc (October 20, 2008). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". Q (268): 117. November 2008.
  9. ↑ Hermes, Will (October 30, 2008). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Clark, M. (November 13, 2008). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  11. ↑ Beta, Andy (November 2008). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". Spin. 24 (11): 91. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  12. ↑ Semple, John (December 5, 2008). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  13. ↑ White, Jody (January 15, 2009). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna". No Ripcord. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  14. ↑ Fischer, Reed (January 14, 2009). "Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna (The Social Registry)". Paste. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  15. 1 2 3 "Best of 2008: Music Critics' Year-End Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  16. ↑ Adams, Sean (December 11, 2008). "Drowned in Sound's 50 albums of 2008". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  17. ↑ FACT staff (December 19, 2008). "20 best: albums of 2008". FACT. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  18. ↑ Saint Dymphna (CD case back cover). Gang Gang Dance. Tokyo: P-Vine Records. 2008.
  19. ↑ Saint Dymphna (CD booklet and case back cover). Gang Gang Dance. London: Warp. 2008.
  20. ↑ Saint Dymphna (CD case back cover). Gang Gang Dance. New York City: The Social Registry. 2008.
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