Bis Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
It appears that the Teen-C Revolution that made Bis indie darlings in the U.S. college market and across the U.K. has switched up for good. Bis are adults now -- Manda Rin, Sci-Fi Steven, and John Disco are in their mid-twenties and have taken a liking to DJing in and around their native Scotland. If 2001's Return to Central release wasn't convincing enough, Bis does it again with the mini-album Plastique Nouveau. Synth pop, dream pop, and indie rock threads weave into a new wave/electro helix, and it's a fashionably slick move. Bis calls upon Detroit's Ectomorph and Adult., and Chicago mixer Tommie Sunshine for some additional tweaking on Plastique Nouveau. From Adult's colorless but chic techno twist on "Robotic," to the pseudo-glitzy electro-pop on Sunshine's remix for "The End Starts Today," Plastique Nouveau finds Bis' own retro world. "Don't Let the Rain Come" is keenly reminiscent of the early '80s, quasi-Depeche Mode and Erasure, while the atmospheric "Sound of Sleet" is an equally decadent piece of ear candy. Bis couldn't have done it better, to be quite honest. Plastique Nouveau is brash enough to attract a new batch of dance fans, but cool enough to keep old fans interested. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Glasgow's Bis tweak their indie pop quirkiness on their fourth album, Return to Central, and it's a desirable and funkadelic feel-good mix of Bis' signature disco hooks and thick pop beats. Surely their most ambitious release, Bis shrug off their post-pubescent punk-pop snarlings and kiddie chants found on The New Transistor Heroes and Intendo and make Return to Central a vibrant twist in their Teen-C Revolution. Manda Rin tames her little girl rants for something sassy, tossing all criticism aside to transcend into electronic bliss. She and Bis cohorts John Disco and Sci-Fi Steve frolic with new wave synth breaks, and let their fondness for Talk Talk, New Order, and Can be known. "What Are You Afraid Of" and "Silver Spoon" splice heavy techno-pop with Rin's vocalic glossy flare; however, Sci-Fi Steven's and Disco's riveting guitars on "Chicago" shimmy into Bis' finest moment on "A Portrait From Space," a loopy celestial soundscape of floating orchestration kicked off with old-school Nintendo samples, yet it's the dream pop guitar work that sets up Bis' new rock cleverness. Bis isn't consumed with angst for the music follower, for they'd rather spiral into club land in their own musical mystery. Return to Central allows Bis to relish in their fun and self-indulgence without them being regarded as snotty indie punks. A sophistication is cast, spawning Bis' bold move from "Kandy Pop." ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As Bis' career progressed, the band's music changed ever so slightly. (Somehow, the word "mature" seems singularly inappropriate as far as this trio is concerned.) The D.I.Y.-punk influences faded into the background as kandy-colored, trashy new wave-dance roots took hold. Simultaneously, the bandmembers' calls for Teen C Power rescinded, leaving them without any message, genuine or manufactured, outside of pop music and fun (or something along those lines). Nevertheless, when it came time to record its second album, Social Dancing, Bis teamed with producer Andy Gill, best known as part of the socialist post-punk band Gang of Four. Following its transformation from a band of underground activists to Casio-driven bubblegum practitioners, Bis turned into the kind of group that would have been in direct opposition to Gang of Four in the early '80s -- all the more ironic, since Gill's production makes Social Dancing sound uncannily like a period piece. That turns out to be a blessing, since his shiny retro sounds make the album go down, even when the trio's kiddie choruses deteriorate from charming to annoying. Consequently, the record is more cohesive than the band's debut, but it never feels relevant -- and at one point, that's what Bis was all about. Arriving at the tail end of Brit-pop, Bis' first EPs seemed fresh, original, part of a new zeitgeist. But since that zeitgeist was all about youth -- and the fact that the members of Bis were teenagers pining for the golden age of elementary school -- sealed the fate for the trio; Bis was of the moment in 1996, and when that year was gone, the band would never again sound hip or relevant. To their credit, they figured out how to move on, entrenching themselves within new wave, and they have made an album that's pretty entertaining. But that triumph is compromised somewhat by the fact that the album ultimately sounds as good and is as substantive as a Haysi Fantayzee record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released to appease fans anxiously awaiting the follow-up to The New Transistor Heroes, Intendo's blend of demos and B-sides is surprisingly short on throwaways. Bis doesn't break any new ground here, turning out more takes on neo-'80s pop complete with layman's drum machines, cheesy keyboards, and innocently ranting choruses that showcase their school spirit. But their gift for a golden melody can't be argued, as "Famous" proves when lead cheerleader Manda Rin lets her vocals, laced with attitude and cutie-pie theatrics, casts an air of optimistic whimsy that makes even the hollow demo take sound radio friendly. If anything, the abbreviated length of this collection hits harder at times than the whole of the slightly long-winded Heroes, making their nostalgic dance formula easier to swallow. ~ Jason Kaufman, All Music Guide
'The New Transistor Heroes'
Release Date 3/27/1997
Tracks 18
Label Wiiija
See Album Tracklist and Review
