Spun: Go Jeff!

By Jordyn Marcellus

Most post-hardcore bands have a distinct formula: name the tracks on your album with esoteric, seemingly random titles and then try—and fail miserably—to sound like At the Drive-In. Moose Jaw indie rockers Go Jeff! follow only one of these two eternal rules, and thankfully they don’t sound anything like At the Drive-In. Wake Up The Dance Machine is a frenetic, fast-paced album that showcases the band’s post-hardcore roots, but also keeps the indie kids dancing long into the night.

Opener “Turok” stomps through your head like a pack of raptors, biting at your ears with crunchy riffs and lyrics delivered with the urgency of Jeff Goldblum running away from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Where other acts would just keep slogging through and not deviate from the norm, Go Jeff! mix it up. Standout track “Womandolin” is performed in a completely separate style from the rest of the album, sounding like a song stolen in the dead of night from the Bloc Party. While the rest of the album tends to be safe, with little in the way of risk, the tracks remain solid and short enough to maintain interest while not wearing thin on the patience.

As a debut album, Wake Up The Dance Machine is a solid entry into a genre of music known for being highly inaccessible. While fans of the genre will appreciate it, any fan of indie rock dance parties needs to add this CD to their collection.