The Dillinger Escape Plan has made their version of a pop album but don’t worry. You almost certainly won’t be hearing this one tearing up the airwaves or MTV. From Calculating Infinity to Miss Machine and now to their newest record Ire Works The Dillinger Escape Plan somehow seems to always top themselves. Incorporating elements of glitchy IDM breakcore, jazz, art-punk, proggy pop rock, and (yes) brutally chaotic mathcore, the band moves from idea to idea like a junkie popping pills.
As technical as ever The Dillinger Escape Plan continue to dazzle with both their arrangements and instrumentation. Even more amazing that the band hasn’t missed a beat considering the departure of drummer Chris Pennie just prior to the recording of Ire Works. This is an amazing album that finds DEP throwing a big “Fuck You” in the face of those who will certainly criticize the band for their eccentricity and deviation from the full-on mathcore juggernaut they once were. Sure, the band does that as well (if not better) than they ever have, but it is just so damn much fun to hear ‘em try new things like the wavering brass stabs on “Milk Lizard,” the detuned bells of “When Acting As A Particle,” the jazzy fills of “Horse Hunter” and “Mouth of Ghosts,” and the slinky grooves that drive “Black Bubblegum” and much of the rest of Ire Works.
I’m a sucker for pop hooks and Ire Works delights in that regard. A near-perfect balance of challenging back-bending time changes, sonic experimentation, and head bobbing rhythms with pop hooks glued nicely atop. Clearly not content to sit still, the band seems to appreciate both experimentation and rock ‘n’ roll. I honestly didn’t think the band would top Miss Machine, but they have and then some.
MP3 | The Dillinger Escape Plan – Milk Lizard Ire Works
MP3 | The Dillinger Escape Plan – Party Smasher Ire Works
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Yup, this album rules.