Bis

This is Teen-C Power (Grand Royal)
by Scott Hefflon

Danger: Beware the sugary-sweet disco/punk kool kats and kitty of bis. Sure, they sound like synth-saturated Cyndi Lauper with a bit o’ darling snottiness and rawkus guitar, but they are out to rid the world of the mandatory D.I.Y. ethic, corporate scumdogs, mean people in general, and, uh, other stuff. Either that or whoever wrote their liner notes has a flair for sci-fi tomfoolery and bis is just a cool crossover disco/punk band who eschew using capital letters. You make the call.

Initially, “kill yr boyfriend” struck me as yummy bubblegummy Hot Damn! with cutesy-pie squealing and “yeah, yeah, yeah!” male choruses to round out the sound. But unlike Hot Damn!’s two squirming sexpots, three if you believe your bulging eyes (and other bodily parts) glued to the “My Panties Are Too Tight” video, bis have but one charmingly chubby chik. Manda Rin’s layered chirps twitter and argue like a tree fulla birds. And yes, prolonged exposure to the afore alluded to tree’s choruses are about as pleasant sounding as a crying baby on a crowded bus. Luckily, John Disco and Sci-fi Steven can sing too. And do. Atop the suspiciously ’80s-esque sound of smarmy synth-pop of “school disco” is the pretentiousless singing of post-geek dudedom. Rich and rolling, the laid-back male vox lack “I’ll Stop the World and Melt with You” creaminess, but provide the much needed softness into which Manda Rin sticks her sassy jabs. “kandy pop” rips with a guitar sound similar to one you’d expect from a Russ Meyer chicks-beating-up-the-dweebs scene, and the song as a whole coulda been a dopey pogofest in Square Pegs (remember that show?). “this is fake d.i.y.” is a clever finger-pointing nyah-nyah at bands that put out limited edition 7″s on icky-colored vinyl with shabby packaging meant to disguise the major label backing of their “indie” label. Insert the name of your current shitlisted sell-out weenies (and the list is long, ain’t it?) and chant along. “burn the suit” and “teen-c power” jerk like white kids at a high school dance “gettin’ down” and “shakin’ their bootie” to the “hip” sounds of B-52s and perhaps a bit of “old school” Blondie. (“Rock out” to Van Halen’s “Dance the Night Away” and AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long” a bit later, then it’s “Lady’s Choice” for Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”) The revolution will not be televised, but it’s sure to have a killer soundtrack.