ARTIST: Private Dancer
ALBUM: “Alive in High Five”
LABEL: Learning Curve
The first time I saw Private Dancer live was at the 2008 Memory Lanes Block Party , straddling a few hardwood lanes atop a makeshift stage. Bowling alleys aren’t the most effective place to host a rock ‘n’ roll show, and many bands would’ve been stifled by the setting. But not Private Dancer. They opened their set with a string of hyper-energetic, feel-good tunes, peeled off into covers of David Bowie , Little Richard and T-Rex, and then let volunteers come up onstage to do karaoke while the band provided backup. Private Dancer impressed three things on me that night: They have great taste in music, they know how to rock out, balls to the wall, and they have a good time doing it.
Their new album, “Alive in High Five,” is rooted on these three basic principles. From the sunny, palm tree-flecked album cover to the final track, this is a record that screams rock ‘n’ roll and summertime fun. With songs about good friends, alluring women and the beach, Private Dancer grounds us in the present, making the subzero gloom of Minnesota winter seem like a distant memory, if it ever existed at all.
The album opens with a bright instrumental, “2000 Year Wave,” lulling us into an airy ambience before we move into the charged, winding jams that best exemplify Private Dancer’s restless spirit.
As we melt into “Diane,” a semi-obsessive love song (which competes with “Into the Dark” for best track on the album), we find ourselves in full Private Dancer swing. The guitars duel, spinning lines in vibrant directions. The drums roll around our ears. Alex Achen shouts his entrancement to the winds: “Well I’ve met girls just like you before / I’ve had them knocking at my door / But I’ve never had a kiss like yours, Diane.” The backing vocals provide plenty of bop-bops, which are, of course, the ultimate staples of summer pop songs.
The bop-bops are soon accompanied by plenty of other infectious, albeit meaningless, noises. Ooh-la-las abound on tracks like “Community Gardens,” and “Bajama Beach,” sucking us into the carefree glee and frantic energy of the record. Songs like “Weekend” and “Into the Dark” take this energy to its peak with their guitars careening near the brink of total chaos and pulling back just in time to keep the listener hooked.
The only real downside to “Alive in High Five” is that it can’t fully match Private Dancer’s live efforts. That’s not a slight — quite the opposite. It’s just that this band puts on an incredible show. It would take some cosmic producer-deity to replicate their ineffable live verve, and sadly, Brian Eno costs too much.
2.5/4 Stars