Dislocation Dance

As one of the lesser-known acts from the early ’80s UK indie pop scene (think Pale Fountains, Aztec Camera, Orange Juice), it’s a treat to have access to all this great material from Manchester’s Dislocation Dance after it nearly got lost in the sands of time. Collecting their first two albums from 1981 and 1983 as well loads of extra tracks and singles with informative liner notes, this reissue pair might seem unnecessarily exhaustive, but there are plenty of gems here worth unearthing. Taking simple pop songs and layering them with intricate jazz overtures is what these guys did best — there’s no shortage of trumpet solos, rhythm guitars and fast, complex time signatures, that’s for sure. But underneath all this jazzy noodling is some perfect British indie pop, which bands like Belle & Sebastian owe so much to. Whether you are refreshing your memory or discovering them for the first time, it’s hard not to be stirred by the infectious hooks of "Rosemary” or "Show Me.” Originally released on the Buzzcocks’ own New Hormones label and then Rough Trade, the band’s career was short-lived, disbanding in 1987. Too quirky for the pop charts, and not hip enough to attract the indie kids, Dislocation Dance suffered unnecessarily in obscurity, and hopefully these reissues will restore some credit where it is due.