!!! — Louden Up Now

Bi-coastal nu-funk collective !!! (pronounced "chk chk chk") sport a list of influences as sizable as their membership. Credited with helping kick off the new indie dance craze, these progenitors of strutting mini-epics are inspired by everything from Krautrock (see "Dear Can," addressed to the eccentric German innovators) to Donna Summer, Prince to the Clash, and techno to Bow Wow Wow. Their wonky, wobbly and undeniably jiggy approach, is tailor-made for clubs or street parties, but ironically, it sounds best on headphones, where the various elements — sometimes droning, sometimes jabbing guitars, crisp disco beats and a tickle trunk full of percussive flourishes — reveal themselves. While the disc maintains a consistent pulse of hip-heaving energy, "Pardon My Freedom" stands out for its snarling rebel chant and quasi industrial stomp, which belies !!!’s most potent and beloved inspiration: this is punk rock with a pelvis.

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