Junk Science, by the Washington, D.C. duo
Deep Dish, was praised by many as one of 1998's best dance albums, and it's easy to understand why. Band members Ali Sirazinia and
Sharam Tayebi prove to be masters of the dancefloor, composing tracks that contain many variations in style, as well as unpredictable sonic surprises. Instead of sticking to one dance style as many of today's artists do,
Deep Dish incorporate such far-reaching sounds as jazz horns ("Chocolate City [Love Songs])," progressive house ("Sushi"), classic
Depeche Mode ("My Only Sin"), and Middle Eastern ("Persepolis"). Also included is a cameo by
Everything But the Girl vocalist
Tracey Thorn on "The Future of the Future (Stay Gold)" and
Deep Dish's 1997 dance smash "Stranded." The band made a conscious effort to move forward musically and look to the future on
Junk Science, and they've succeeded with a consistent album that's heavy on wonderful sonic experiments. [
Junk Science is also available in a release with added bonus tracks.] ~ Greg Prato