!!! - Louden Up Now

Wed 21st Jul, 2004 in Music Reviews

!!!, or Chik Chik Chik as it is pronounced, have produced an industrial sounding, funk-laden album comprised of scattered beats, instrumental breaks and dramatic structural switches. In its effort to create so much at once however the synergy sometimes leads to the whole being less then the sum of its well-crafted parts.

The style of !!! is far less frantic than that of their genre peers in the dance guitar explosion, typified by the DFA bands. !!! have strayed away from the safe post punk meretricious posturing tending towards a more exuberant disco characterisation. In the end that means only one thing. More dancing to guitars!

Their attempt at combining so much in the album has resulted in the record not fulfilling the chef d’oeuvre projections of the band’s expectant fans. However this record is by no means bad![real exclamation mark] Chik Chik Chik are yet to find their sound as a band, this is an album of a band just waiting to click and explode.

Reviews of the album have been mixed, a few think its terrible, some think its a good record but disappointing overall while others believe its the best record out since The Rapture’s Echoes. My feeling is if you take away the already acclaimed Me and Giuliani from the album you would squeeze a tight EP out of the album (the first 5 tracks are superb), but over the course of the album !!!’s initial BANG ends with, well, kind of a murmur.

The riffs and basslines are not only provided by the guitars but also by the trumpets and saxophones. The production manages to capture the energy and vibe of the grimy guitar effects and stomp boxes superbly. The opening track signals the intention of the album. When the Going Gets Tough… has a heavy disco inspired beat, jagged lyrics, funky guitar riffs and strewn horn interjections. This theme continues into the second song Pardon My Freedom, although the second track introduced a more varied and electro beat to proceedings.

Dear Can starts with a very electro beat, before the lyrics swing in asking ‘Oh my god did I just say that aloud?’ With lyrics bordering between politically poignant and gratuitously rude worded, the song definitely has attitude. After that outburst the listener definitely needs the calm interlude of King’s Weed, a very apt title.’Hello? Is This Thing On?’ bursts out of your speakers as the sharpest song on the album. The hooks and production on this track makes it stand out proudly as an example of how good !!! can sound. The disco infused beat, the gentle guitar riffs and the powerful, anxious lyrics combine to produce seven minutes of groovy guitar. This song (and its remixes, no doubt) should be packing the dance floors of clubs daring to play guitar music this winter.

After all the energy expended in the last song, !!! opt for the cool, beat laden, laid back Shit Scheisse Merde. This song has two parts, both of which are essentially the same. The cool ass bass that grooves its way through the song, not even to be knocked out of its groove by the aggressive lyrics. However the two parts add up to eleven minutes of playing time, leaving lots of time for the song to drift around for long periods with no direction seemingly.

!!! include the single which shot them to prominence Me and Giuliani Down By The School Yard at the end of the album. The nine minute epic is one of the best examples of the ‘Disco Punk’ genre yet produced, so for it to replace another song on the album would disappoint long term fans. However for those who missed all the hype about Me and Giuliani the first time round its included on the album.

The final track is a bit of a novelty, with a distinct tropical flavour. It’s appeal though is limited and is a disappointing way to round off the album. At times there is a certain vagueness to Louden Up Now with tracks going on too long to nowhere in particular. Other times though !!! hit the nail right on the head producing top drawer disco punk of the like, no one has produced yet.

Next up to bat in this difficult new genre are LCD Soundsystem. Can they observe the weaknesses in !!!’s album to fortify their eagerly awaited release? Their innovative industrial funk sound and driven disco infused beat means however you say it, !!! is a name worth asking after at your local record store.