Strange Weather, Isn't It?

!!!- strange weather, isn't it?

reviewed by tony echo.

ohhhh, !!!. as usual, each song is a shameless transparent attempt to induce dance giddiness, but this one is "stripped-down" (read: less gimmicks) compared to previous !!! glory. lots of diverse elements/influences: disco, funk, post-punk, new wave, no-wave, hip hop, r&b, electro, world, house, it's all in there. diverse instrumentation also. it's a party in a box, some tracks may be shallow, not up to pitchfork standards, whatever. it's a party in a box. it's instant happiness and shimmying. enjoy.

BE WARNED: made to play like a mixtape, so some tracks have abrupt endings/no fade-out.

FCCs: none detected, lyrics are pretty muffled in places
recommended: 7, 9, 4, 1, 2
*=liked, **=loved

**1. fast 4.55 nice opening, world drumbeats, funk/disco bass, playful m/f vox interplay- remember the tom tom club? then there's also the fuzzy guitar, the occasional steel drum, the occasional shimmery synth line. nice.
**2. fast 5.39 happy, fun, upbeat. classic disco/funk/house beat and bass, fun elec guitar. vocals subdued, dark and hoarse in places (think depeche, underworld, new order).
*3. fast 3.50 this one is fun also, with a garage feel - fuzzy distorted bass and rockin drums, soulful f vox and tambourine shaking. funky sax cuts in here and there. demerit for m vox that sounds like smashmouth in places- ugh.
**4. fast 5.06 funk/disco gem. minimal effects/gimmicks: basic 4-piece garage sound, then after a bit the guitar goes more melodic and jangly, like early cure. m vox sounds like duran duran in places, downtempo/house-like f vox echo in the background in places. lyrics are somewhat cheesy, but you expected that from the song title, right?
5. mid/fast 5.45 upbeat, funky, a bit more spacy than the rest of the album. there's that jangly new wave guitar again. disco/funk bass. tambourines shaking. dark new wave synths here and there. hoarse m vox, backed by soulful f vox. chorus is a bit cheesy. nice sax cuts in halfway thru.
6. mid/fast 2.48 their ode to mezzanine-era massive attack? the m vox sure sound like it - dark and monotonous. 80s hip-hop drum-machine beat, complete with "hand claps". 80s r&b style f vox. abrupt ending.
***7. fast 3.21 groovy, dark, recalls underworld, joy division, t-rex in all the right ways. just, yeah. the synths, the dark m vox delivery, the groovy bass and drums. BEST TRACK.
*8. mid/fast 5.45 upbeat, maybe a bit too much so. driving, in-your-face disco rhythm. jangly guitar that's a bit new wave and a bit disco. i keep chuckling because in places the m vox just scream "smashmouth", and i wonder why he cant take a backseat to the soul/funk awesomeness that are the backing f vox. slick production, instruments sound not-so-live. last :45 tribal drumbeat.
**9. fast 4.54 in-your-face house/techno/industrial groove for the dancefloor. happy synths give way to dark, reverbing organ. aggressive drum machine and conga. dies down at 2:30, then big buildup that peaks @ 3.20 and lasts to the end.