It's been a long two years since L.A. trio MOVING UNITS' debut EP, but it initially seems worth the wait, as their debut album "Dangerous Dreams" serves up 12 slices of infectious, dance-punk set-pieces which take their lead from the likes of the Rapture and other DFA-produced bands like Radio 4.
Moving Units mix up the hottest blasts of last year's disco punk-funk scene, add in spiky melodies fused with this years fashionable accessory: 80's art school new wave synths.
Although in places it seems like the zeitgeist has caught up and passed Moving Units by, elements of "Dangerous Dreams" move with the times and - at its' best - it sounds not all that dissimilar to what the Bravery are putting out now.
"Emancipation" is molten punk-funk while "Available" & "Going For" sound like they could be comfortably fitted on Rapture B-sides. Intriguingly, on tracks like "Anyone" Moving Units drift towards 80's synth territory but the melody ensures the ear candy remains pleasant and not horribly derivative. "Scars", meanwhile, gets darker still, underlining the band's growth and emotional expression, as Blake Miller sings "waiting for somebody else" in an Interpol-inspired moment far away from the de rigeur punk-funk template.
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Ferocious, energetic, bass-heavy rhythms and get up'n'go disco drumbeats pick you up and push Moving Units far enough from the obvious comparisons that might otherwise stifle them. While this debut perhaps lacks the hooks and imagination of the best DFA-related releases, "Dangerous Dreams" is dependable fare for both dancefloor and moshpit and certainly has its' moments. It could indeed move units in the current climate.
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