If Manda Rin, Sci-fi Steven and John Disco (aka Bis) opened a candy shop, they'd probably stock it exclusively with bright colored, high- energy sugar goods. We're talking Nerds, Skittles, Pixy Stix, Chewy Sweetarts, and the like. Only minors would be allowed into the shop; college kids would have to be accompanied by their baby brothers and sisters. In fact, a trip to the Bis sweets shop wouldn't be much different than listening to one of their albums: an exuberant, childish, stomach ache of a sugar high-- but in a good way.
This Scottish trio burst onto the American scene in 1997 with the infectious This Is Teen-C Power EP, six songs of disco- inflected, punky pop proclaiming the advent of the Teen-C Revolution. The sing- along choruses ("Kill your boyfriend/ Yeah yeah yeah!"), killer riffs and back- to- elementary school bounce gave the band instant street cred. And signing with the Beastie Boys on their coveted Grand Royal label didn't hurt, either. Unfortunately, most cool cats in the U.S. had moved on to the more "mature" post-rock scene by the time Bis released The New Transistor Heroes, a high- fructose long- player that showed the band spreading out in new directions with varying degrees of success.
Intendo collects nine tracks of demos, b-sides and rarities recorded over the last two years, sandwiched between two cracks at the intro/ outro "Grand Royal With Cheese." The first proper track, "Statement of Intent," makes it known that Bis aren't about to settle for Tootsie Rolls; the song is as immediate and melodic as Bis' music has ever been, but not quite as fun to sing along to as their previous call- and- response anthems. "Clockwork Punk" rectifies this with an addictive chorus:
To all the people in the east, Clockwork Punk!!!To all the people in the north, Clockwork Punk!!!To all the people in the west, Clockwork Punk!!!And all the people in the south, Clockwork Punk!!!
Think Kraftwerk covering R.E.M.'s "Stand" and you'll have the idea. Elsewhere on the sampler you'll find Bis trying out new musical terrain. "Famous" and "Automatic Freestyle" border on ska, while "Kid Cut" recalls Blur at their "Chinese Bombs" punkiest (or for you Japanophiles, Melt Banana). The only track that falls flat is "Cookie Cutter Kid," which outlasts its stay, clocking in at a whopping four minutes.
In the end, sheer musical and songwriting competence sets Bis apart from other progenitors of the Teen-C Revolution such as their American counterpart, the Donnas. If you only pick up Thrill Jockey releases, this probably isn't for you. (Why are you reading this?) But for all you kiddies with sweet tooths out there, don't hesitate to snatch this up. Watermelon Nerds never tasted so good.
