Death From Above 1979 is set to breathe new life into its debut record 20 years after it was released.
The Canadian rock duo, comprised of drummer and singer Sebastien Grainger and bassist Jesse F. Keeler, will perform You're A Woman, I'm a Machine in its entirety during a concert at Bo's Bar and Stage in Red Deer on Monday, Nov. 11. The show is part of the You're A Woman, I'm A Machine Twentieth Anniversary Tour.
"By playing the entire record live and taking a shot at re-recording our songs, we're able to live the record in a way. It doesn't feel like a dead thing. We're trying to inhabit the songs as living things," he said.
"The record exists. It'll always exist. We wanted to find a way to celebrate that without it being superficial. I think the only way to do it is to play the songs live or record them again. That was our approach to it. We were experiencing the songs again instead of just looking back with nostalgia."
Grainger and Keeler disbanded two years after the 2004 release of the album, but reunited in 2011 and have since released three more albums under the Death From Above 1979 banner: The Physical World in 2014, Outrage! Is Now in 2017 and Is 4 Lovers in 2021. The Physical World was named Rock Album of the Year at the 2016 Juno Awards, while Outrage! Is Now was nominated for the same award two years later.
You're A Woman, I'm A Machine, an 11-track record, includes songs such as Black History Month and Romantic Rights.
"There are a couple scorching up-tempo punk numbers — it's an approach we haven't really taken in the last couple records. It's nice to be back in that mode and say, 'It actually feels quite natural to play this way,'" Grainger said.
"We weren't that concerned with strong structure back then. I wasn't approaching those songs in any kind of compositional way — it was just about what we thought was cool. When there was enough song, we said it was done.
"Once you take on the moniker of a songwriter, you start to pay more attention to things like lyrics, structure, melody and counter-melody, harmony and all that stuff. I like to be a nerd in that way at this point. But at the beginning we were a very instinctual band. It's nice to be reminded of that and that there's something inside of you that is beyond intellect and true."
Grainger admitted he has something of a complex relationship with their debut album.
"Going through old photos, footage and recordings from that time, it's summoned up some old memories," he said.
"I'm kind of put back in that time and it's not always the most pleasant experience because when you're young you're kind of dumb and self conscious. There are all of these things that come with being a young person. But it's mixed with the bravado and confidence of trying to pull it off."
After playing the entirety of You're A Woman, I'm A Machine, the duo will play a number of tracks from their following three albums.
To purchase tickets, visit www.deathfromabove1979.com.
