Death in Vegas: Trans-Love Energies

Death in Vegas: Trans-Love Energies
In 1997, UK electronic duo Death in Vegas released their debut album, Dead Elvis. The album spawned a minor hit in the US, “Dirt.” The real problem was that the market was oversaturated with UK dance artists at the time. 1997 was prime time for artists like Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, and Bentley Rhythm Ace; it is no wonder Death in Vegas got lost in the mix. Like most 90s dance acts, success in the US was fleeting. “Dirt” remains the group’s biggest success in the US. The group has released albums fairly consistently since until their last album, 2004’s Satan’s Circus. The band seemed to disappear for seven years before re-emerging to release Trans-Love Energies.
If you recall, “Dirt” had this terrifying music video featuring quick cuts between religious iconography, birds, and children with fangs. The track itself was a dark electronic track with sampled female vocals. As the band continued releasing albums in the UK, the focus shifted slightly away from electronica and more towards electronic rock. But after a seven year lay off it was hard to know exactly what Trans-Love Energies would sound like.
What the album attempts to do is straddle the line between electronic rock and dark electronica. This line is made apparent from the get-go. The album opener is an experimental track “Silver Time Machine” featuring acoustic guitars, spoken word samples, and electronic blips which gives way to the indie rocker “Black Hole.” “Black Hole” is reminiscent of The Dandy Warhols with its fuzzy guitars and nearly indecipherable vocals.
However the two opening tracks are more the exception than the rule for Trans-Love Energies. The album feels like it truly begins with “Your Loft My Acid.” As the drug-addled title hints at, the track is trippy, blip-filled electronica. It reminds me of a mix between Shit Robot and YACHT. It really sets the mood for the rest of the album.
The rest of the album bounces from nearly unlistenable experimentation to fairly listenable but creepy electronica. The dark tones of the album definitely are pervasive throughout but the success of the album is on a song by song basis. Unfortunately it ends up feeling like a bad acid trip through the remnants of 90s darkwave.
Rating: 4.8/10
MP3: Death in Vegas “Your Loft My Acid”
Buy: iTunes