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When it came to techno in 2012, no one did it like Blawan. His early EPs were cool-if-expected future-bass excursions not unlike his Hessle Audio \/ Hotflush contemporaries, but with Long Distance Open Water Worker<\/i>, Peaches<\/i> and most stunningly of all, His He She And She<\/i>, Blawan blew the doors off what dungeon techno could be. The four tracks of His He She And She<\/i> are as gnarly and raw as any Wolf Eyes CD-r, as catchy as Luomo and as relentless as Sandwell District, blaring the evil vocal hooks and blown-out rhythms like they’re coming from a warning siren, not a stereo. When I listen to this EP, I feel both energized and terrorized, like I am in the middle of a warzone and my only reaction is to dance. Keep the hits coming, Blawan!<\/p>\n![](\"\/images\/merchandisechildren.jpg\")
After blowing my mind with their (Strange Songs) In The Dark<\/i> album, Merchandise had a lot to live up to with their follow-up, and did they ever! Everything I loved about Merchandise before is brighter, bolder and bigger than before – the riffs are catchy new-wave bliss, Carson Cox’s vocals are some sort of squat-house Morrissey with a Chet Baker fixation, the lyrics are as melodramatic and overwrought as I could’ve hoped, and the songs themselves stretch time as thought it were just another instrument to play with. There’s bits of Neu!, Arcade Fire and The Cure in there, whether they intended it or not, and there’s really no other band that sounds like Merchandise (although in 2013, I certainly expect many others to start trying). Conflicted with staying punk or embracing the indie machine, Merchandise are ignoring cries of “sell out” while still playing ratty punk basements instead of corporate clubs (at least for now), and it’s been entertaining watching them navigate their new-found world, particularly as they have a fantastic set of songs to take with them. Children Of Desire<\/i> is a beautiful record that will only continue to unfold its wealth as the hype dissipates and the music stands entirely on its own, just as Merchandise intended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"