There were families in Canada that were prosecuted ... - Memewar

You Say Party?
We Say Party!
“Hit The Floor!”
A Suitable Title!
Carmen Papalia
I was listening to the radio a couple months ago and this caller was spouting off about Vancouver’s
indie scene. He used words like “dismal”, “lethargic” and “non-existant”, then chuckled
and concluded it must be due to “their shitty weather.” He continued, “I mean, what’s the
last good CD that came from a Vancouver band? Everything’s happening out east—The Arcade
Fire, Wolf Parade, Broken Social Scene.” With this, I proceeded to shut the radio off and sat writhing
in annoyance.
The answer that leapt out of my chest was You Say Party!, We Say Die!’s “Hit The Floor”. At that time it had been in my CD Player for a good six
weeks and I was already humming tunes in elevators. “The gap, the gap, the gap, the gap” blared out of my headphones on the 135 up to SFU. As
I shuffled through YSP’s short, but oh so sweet, energy-infused tracks, I couldn’t help but feel that there was something “crying to be let out” of
the band’s 2004 full-length.
The CD begins with an intro that establishes mood and perhaps the temperature of the band—church-bells and angelic voices are broken by
an explosion and crackling tongues of fire. Then bouncy synth taps and bass provoke a momentum and excitement that bleeds into the next track,
“Cold Hands, Hot Bodies”. Becky Ninkovic launches into a high-powered “rallying of the troops” and we hear a hungry crowd, knocking pints,
ready for a sweaty rock show. I recall Becky’s game-face as she guns off a set of routine gymnastic stretches—a reminder to her audience that
tonight dancing is manditory. “Heat, I got heat for you,” she repeats, and prepares the crowd for “Stockholm Syndrome Pt.1 and 2,” two tracks that
build to magnificent guitar-driven crechendoes. “Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, break it, break it, break it, break it!” and you’re fuelled with
the good stuff and ready to burn. Then three very sing-a-longable tracks follow—the bouncy “You Did It”, the militant “The Gap”, and the sexy
“Midnight Snack”. However it is “The Gap” that gets crowds of hipster kids shouting punk politics as they rock the dance-floor in black sneakers.
Note: If you are fortunate enough to both own the CD and live in Vancouver, travel across any bridge while listening to “The Gap”. You just might
be physically crossing the “gap between the rich and the poor”.
“Love In The New Millenium” follows as YSP switches gears, giving listeners just enough time to breathe, but only for a second. Then the quick
and glitchy, repetative guitar of “Jazz Crabs” picks up the pace once again, and the energy behind “Rise!” inspires an inextinguishable motivation.
The CD closes with “Don’t Wait Up” a track that begins with playful synth beats that quickly melt away into heavy guitar, transforming the song
into a hard-hitting stomper—Perhaps telling listeners to hurry the fuck up and catch the train, because this band won’t wait up!
There’s a reason why You Say Party! We Say Die! feels the need to cram in as many exclamation marks as they can—Hit The Floor!” buzzes with
a brand of energy that most bands lack these days. Be sure to pick up their disc and catch a show if you can, and remember—for maximum enjoyment,
crank it loud, sing-a-long and dance like a maniac!