Customer Reviews

Me & Giuliani Down By the School Yard: True Story

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

supposedly on the tip of a "dancepunk" revolution with liars and the rapture.(pitchfork) I haven't heard to much of this type of music in the punk scene and i got to admit this 24 minute cd is sweet. Chk Chk Chk is an eight-piece band that has to be heard live to truly appreciate how good they really are. The funk-punk mixture could finally bring punk music around the corner. I really hope other bands will try to emulate this type of sound. Chk Chk Chk definitely has the right idea and just a matter of time they become the next big thing in Indie Rock.

i love this song, and pretty much all the !!! songs... it really brings originality and flavor to the underground scene.. and im not just saying this cuz my dad is one of the guitartists.

I saw !!! live at the 2004 Coachella festival and was blown away. People were dancing frenetically to what was a mixture of disco and punk, and I could help but smile while listening. I had read the Pitchfork review on !!! and figured I'd get the single. I think that the song "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard" is worth it alone, a really banging track. I've got to get the full-length just released.

The only reason I put four stars instead of five it's because maybe I will get the reader's attention. This band is infecting, as well as very very hard to pin point. However, I can't believe no one has picked up on the Talking Heads trip, circa Fear of Music. The interplay between the guitars and the rhythm section is convoluted, like a more urgent take on Fela and Afrobeat, but also tipping their hats to early eighties bands like James White and the Blacks, may be a little bit of Liquid Liquid. I only hope more of their music could be easier to find, because, honestly, you won't stop playing it, once you catch yourself in the middle of one of their breathtaking funk jams. If anyone, ANYONE has any contact with these guys, please tell them to make their music a little bit more available to listeners from OUTSIDE the U.S. Thank you.

these guys rule. only one song, but picks up where the full length left off. the full length (gold standard label records - find it!) is something to behold. it just sticks in your bones. they draw from some great influences (sly stone, talking heads, sonic youth, clash) but they are so random together that it becomes something new and exciting and funky as hell! the songs are longer but they take the listener on a sonic funk trip, and by the end your head is feverish with rhythms and spaced-out guitars, aching for more. can we get a NYC live appearance please?

Sure, they borrow liberally from the Talking Heads and the B-52s (they lift the intro from Mesopotamia on "Me & Giuliani"), but has anyone pointed out that the vocals sound like they were lifted straight off a Girls Against Boys record? At least it's not all ripped off from late 70s early 80s records. All snarkiness aside this is a great single.

I've always loved !!!, and this single is no exception. Though a tad more flamboyant than their other works, this is another excellent piece on their part. A little out there, and quite artsy, !!! is a band that you generally need an aquired taste for-- much like the Blood Brothers, Xiu Xiu, Deerhoof, Q and not U, etc. Give it a chance. If you still don't like what you hear, what can I say, artsy and experimental compositions aren't for everyone, but personally I love their work.

Comprised of several members from Out Hud, !!! are currently tearing up the scene with a style that is both disco and post-punk sounding. Having toured for quite some time, and gaining a dedicated following, this large group (containing 7 members) has released the precursor to the soon-to-be second full-length album. With no release date known, Me and Giuliani Down By the Schoolyard will have to suffice for now. The good news is that you get two tracks that both clock in at over 9-minutes a piece.

The title track begins with a "Run Like Hell" intro á la Pink Floyd, soon to be joined by bouncing bass riffs and no-wave style vocals from Nic Offer. Although there are vocals on this EP, they are fairly sparse over the course of the songs. Relying mostly on the bass and drums to set the pace, the guitar and keyboard effects are situated around them for mood. The second track, "Intensifieder," is a remix of a track off the bands debut self-titled album. This track is heavily weighed down by a processed deep-house beat, making it sound more like the remix it is than a proper song. The two songs, however, compliment each other very well in just a short matter of time.

With two songs that pretty much remain constant in subject matter, it's hard to make any assumptions as to the relevance of this EP. The union of these bands styles, however, is definitely something that should (and will) be explored further. We'll have to stand by patiently to see if the new !!! album will be as promising as Out Hud's 2002 release, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. My guess is that this EP is a pretty good indication of those possibilities.

Remember the first time you heard "Pump Up The Volume" by MARRS? Remember how you couldn't stop listening to it? Or "Blue Monday" by New Order, for that matter? This is that kind of record. Actually, this track sounds like it *was* recorded in the 80s, subsequently lost in a space-time continuum, and re-emerged the other side in 2003. I hear so many 80s influences here - New Order, Gang of Four, Liquid Liquid, James White, Cabaret Voltaire, late-era Clash. It's simply an outstanding record that fires on all eight cylinders for the duration. Expect to see this on a lot of "best of" lists at the end of the year.

The best single of 2003 and a throwaway remix track off theyre last LP. Should I give it 5 stars or 1? I guess I'll split the difference. Six bucks is deffiantely worth it though based on the strengthof the first track but i think that money would be better spent checking them out in concert, its suck a good time.