Customer Reviews

Myth Takes

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

 

 

I have been in debate as to pick this album up for quite a while now. Its seems that previous albums by !!! divide reviewers into two groups; Its either overrated yet somewhat fun, or you can dance to it so therefore its good. Im not a 'dancer', and I don't buy mediocre albums, but then again, with record sales like they are getting lately, and the cool album art of 'Myth Takes', I was inavoidably drawn in.

First listen I was hooked. There is so much stuff going on in this album that I immediately started it over. I began to wonder where the hell the negative reviews were coming from. I delayed reviewing this because I thought that maybe this album wasn't as good as my first impression had led me to believe. Again, I was wrong. About twenty listens later, this album has the same freshness and creative attraction that it did on listen number one.

This album is damn good.. and I finally realized why. Like my favorites, Pink Floyd, !!! are easily capable of cramming experimentaion, dense atmosphere, and down-right wierdness all into one album, while still being able to keep a keen ear open to pop sensibilities. You will rarely find an album this fun, yet challenging at the same time. From disco, to trip-hop, there is definately something for every listener in 'Myth Takes'; and yet with all its pop and cheese, I am still delightfully able to find something new with each listen. Head to head with Pain of Salvation's 'Scarsick' for the best album of the year so far.

This is the best album to come out in 2007.

This is stuff that almost belongs more in a night club on a Saturday night. It's a near perfect combination of live performance and electronic enhancement. But the effects don't overshadow the songs, which feature some of the most infectious vibes and killer hooks of the year.

The best way to listen to this album is from beginning to end in order. The tracks are sequenced to be a microcosm of a party - starting with ice-breaking stuff that works into a vibe getting more intense as the album works in, then winds down on the last 2 songs.

01 Myth Takes
The title track is actually the worst song on the record. It's an abtractionalist retro experiment that should have probably been a bonus track. Unfortunate choice.

02 All My Heroes are Wierdos
Shades of XTC and Joy Division - Fast raucus with several new-wavy elements. Better.

03 Must be the Moon
Takes right off with a thudding disco beat at about 120 BPM. The bass line is killer.

04 A A New Name
Another 120 BPM rocker. Best verse hook on the record with the bass and the guitar trading hits on every 3rd beat.

05 Heart of Hearts
Keeps the vibe going. The backing female vocals make bring it a little to close to KMFDM for me. Still very danceable.

06 Sweet Life
The most original track on the record, it takes a little getting used to - maybe a little overwrought for me personally. Lots of changes. Very progressive.

07 Yadnus
Has a "Personal Jesus" 3/4 beat, the song is 5:10 long and just keeps building to release over that time. Use it to fire up a locker room before a big game.

08 Bend Over Beethoven
My personal favorite on the album, and also probably the least original. It pulls together the minor elements that make this band great, but presents them as a band with minimal "drum enhancement". The result is a big beat at about 118 BPM with a huge chorus. The track is mostly instrumental and so seems to be designed to really show off the individual prowess that makes up this group. And by the way, these guys really can play.....

09 Break in case of anything
Sort of a disappointment after the build-up of "bend-over Beethoven" - more of an acid techno experiment.

10 Infinifold
The records only slow song - melancholy - appropriate for a last track

merriam-webster's new collegiate dictionary effectively defines the noun "dance" as follows: "a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music".

this doesn't even come close to the near-epileptic contortional fit that seized me about one and a half minutes into my first listen of "myth takes".

"louden up now" and earlier releases were great, in their own less-than-tethered way, but this album is a flashpaper-bright journey into a pulsating neon psychosis of dancing disco rollergirls, exploding sunsets and fields of swaying skyscrapers. if you understand that last phrase on even the most cursory level then you owe it to yourself and your future seeds to buy this album and play it until it wears out and you have to buy another copy.

what do you like? epic classic rock? drunken disco? maybe some stuck-in-my-head-like-gum-on-my-shoe pop tunes? some tribal dancefloor napalm? we can keep going, but it's all here...

for an added trip, try playing the album while checking their website [...] (which seems to have been designed by a cryogenically frozen timothy leary)while listening to the record...if you think you can handle it.

don't make a mistake, jump on "myth takes".

This is a great album but maybe a little long. Otherwise this is a must have!

I've never really heard !!! before hearing this album, and since hearing this of course, I felt obliged to check out their previous material. It just doesn't stand up to this, however. It seems until "Myth Takes", Chk Chk Chk (or whatever) never really reached their mark potential. Fortunately, for us as well as them, they released this album laced completely with crafty electronics, sonic guitars and dance-stimulating rhythms.... oh yeah, and maniacal choruses that make you want to shatter things.

The album starts out less than stellar, though, with the title track but quickly picks up around track three with "Must Be The Moon", which must be one of the best songs released this year (and guess what: it's not even the best song on this album!). "Must Be The Moon" is some of the most fun I've heard in a song this year. It's fast paced. The bass is all over the place, going in and out at the right times. There's a ton of sonic and electronic sounds going in and out as well, often trading places as the primary melody. The best thing overall about the song (as with most of the songs on this album) is the chorus. It's rapid and undeniably catchy. If you're listening to the chorus and not singing along with it then you must have the greatest sense of self-control imaginable.

The next song, "A New Name", is overshadowed by "Must Be The Moon" but it is a really good song. The pace is a lot slower but it's equally melodic. I love the effects they use on their instruments in this song. And again, the chorus is amazing. It's undeniably catchy and I find myself always trying to sing along with it but failing to reach the high notes Nic "The Penguin" Offer (vocalist) does so successfully.

There's a few other good songs as well, "Bend Over Beethoven" is an eight minute rocker. "Yadnus" has a sound of empowerment. The melodies of "Heart Of Hearts" keeps on ascending until it reach sonic mayhem. "Infinifold" is the slow closer.

I will finish this review by talking about what I believe to be the best electronic song this year: "Sweet Life". This song starts out with a completely hypnotic bass melody. Enter a repetitious guitar melody as essentially hypnotic as the bass melody and !!! got themselves a groove. Singer, Nic Offer, is too comfortable with this melody and the lyrics work. "Been sitting so long, thought I forgot how to walk. In the mist of all the stillness, there's a new kind of knock." The song quickly builds and builds until BAM! The chorus is nuts! Utter mayhem of cascading bass lines, raging guitars, Nic singing "sweet" repeatedly and what can only be described as a very disturbed percussionist. This is one of those rare songs where once you've first heard it, you repeat the play of it constantly. It just kicks your arse each and every time.

I will ultimately rate this a 4.5, which is a superb rating. I feel this album and LCD Soundsystems' latest make for a very good year for electronic music. I hope these guys can keep up the stylish work. I plan to keep my ears and eyes wide open for more from this band and hope to catch them live some day soon.

Grab your favorite partner and saddle up. !!! is back with their latest dance party, and this time they're all about having fun. The political themes of "Louden Up Now" have been brushed aside to make way for what could very well be the group's most energetic album to date. As one would expect, "Myth Takes" is one hell of an album, featuring thumping bass lines, driving guitars, and music that is absolutely guaranteed to get you moving no matter who you are.

Not instantaneously though. The album starts off subtly with the title track, "Myth Takes," which really serves as an introduction to the album if anything. It's spaghetti western guitars and dance punk doo-wop ("Sha-sha-sha-sha-sha doobie") trick you into believing that the album is going to be a low-key affair, but as it fades out you're soon treated to the pounding drums and all-around intensity of "All My Heroes are Weirdos." Go ahead and shut yourself in your bedroom. Freak out. No one's watching, and you know you want to.

"Must Be the Moon" utilizes a funky bass line and a steady rhythm to create what is arguably the strongest song on the album in overall danceability, while "A New Name" shows off the guitar and has an almost old-school disco feel to it. Both of the songs are incredible and clearly demonstrate the group's vast talents. "Heart of Hearts," the album's first single is a fairly strong track that should be incredible live, but is really plagued by !!!'s biggest flaw; poor lyricism. Of course, when you're playing music that is meant to be danced to, lyrics are always going to take a back seat. Anyone expecting to be moved by deep lyrics should probably look elsewhere.

The album slows down a little bit on "Sweet Life" but eventually explodes into 100% U2-ish anthem grandeur before the track comes to a close. The band is at their most experimental here, shying away from the thumps and grooves and substituting knob tweaks and static. It's a cool song, to be sure. Not as cool, however, as "Yadnus," my personal favorite on the album. The song's strong bass line and groove is complemented perfectly by flutters of string orchestration and cackling "Ah ah ah ah ah ahs" to form an awesome, almost eerie sound. Here, lead singer, Nic Offer, sings, "I'll take anyone. New York to London. They say brave men run to the sound fun," and you can't help but sing along by the time the verse rolls around the second time. It is by far the standout track on "Myth Takes."

The cleverly named "Bend Over Beethoven" and "Break In Case of Anything" keep the energy moving, the latter of which features some stellar brass-instrumentation. At one point near the middle of the song, the instruments hit some triple-forte staccato attacks that are impossible to not enjoy! "Infinifold" closes the album off on a mellow tone. Unlike the rest of the album, it is really the only song with lyrics that aren't repetitive or lighthearted. The serious tone is definitely welcomed on the album, but "Infinifold" just catches you off guard by it's utter lack of energy. It's only endearing moments are towards the end, as the music swells and the "la la las" are slowly swept away into the silence that caps off the album.

Overall, "Myth Takes" is a pretty rowdy affair by anyone's standards. !!! definitely knows how to blend genres and make it fun. The album can be incredibly fun, and it's pretty easy to get lost in the madness sometimes. Of course, listeners expecting some sort of deep experience are going to be disappointed. The lyrics on "Myth Takes" are unquestionably shallow (and often a bit silly), even by !!!'s standards. All of that is a side note, however, to what is otherwise a fairly strong album, and one that should definitely be checked out.

Recommended for fans of !!!, anyone hosting a dance party, or anyone who just wants to make an idiot out of themselves while alone in their bedroom (or on a dance floor, who knows?).

Key Tracks:

1. "All of My Heroes are Weirdos"

2. "Must Be the Moon"

3. "Sweet Life"

4. "Yadnus"

6 out of 10 Stars

Another great CD by these guys. A bit more polished than the first one. Great CD and even better live.

Big fan of most all of !!!'s catalog...but not this one. Don't like much of any of this album...at all. More just disorganized noise than the dancy, funky, rockin goodness that I've come to expect.