Album Review: !!! (Chk Chk Chk) “Shake The Shudder”
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) Shake The Shudder is hard album to review because it is a simple pleasure. I cannot fluff or deny the its immediate and unabated desire to make you move. With songs like, “Dancing Is The Best Revenge” and “Throttle Service”, how could you NOT assume that you are going to move.
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) – ‘The One 2’ (New album Shake The Shudder May 19)
Again, I cannot help but feel like I am over-explaining the feverish jams constructed by !!! (Chk Chk Chk). Even the band’s name is a clear understanding of disco as a world that promoted excessiveness, and by blending it with white noise of strained guitar chords you feel like you are watching a tv game-show get smashed. Such an analogy is not far off considering that the band wrote the album during and in response to the 2016 election, which felt like and found an actual game show host winning the role of President. Hence, songs such as “Throw Yourself In The River”, “Imaginary Interviews” and “Things Get Hard” are piercingly relevant to how people feel and react to The Trump Dictatorship. Using lyrics that jump from silly to sarcastic to serious like a frog would a pond of verses, Shake The Shudder perfectly blends the euphoria of surrealism with the harshness of reality, which is what we need. We cannot avoid darkness, especially when we are trying to grow our light, which seems to be the motto of the band. For them, Shake The Shudder is a document/ testament of their musical practicing of Hansei; the Japanese philosophy of continually seeking room for growth, learning, and improvement. Hence, songs appear as if you have chosen to jump down a colorful tube that splashes with lights and sonics as you go down. In there, the voice Nic Offer reminds you that falling is not deadly… its landing that is fatal.
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) – Dancing Is The Best Revenge
In a world that struggles to digest so much bad news, dance-punk might be the best outlet and Nic Offer the right singer. Offer’s vocals have a boyish playfulness that pushes the dance-aspect of !!! (Chk Chk Chk). He has no problem sounding goofy or gritty, and he has the range to do it. Thus, it is he that makes sure !!! (Chk Chk Chk) can go from a punk flavor in ‘What R U Up 2day” and “R Rated Pictures”, but, again, this album is to DANCE. In addition, featured artists Lea Lea, Meah Pace, Nicole Fayu, Cameron Mesirow and Molly Schnick add delicious harmonies and happiness to the shimmering synths and deep, groovy rhythms in “NRGQ”, “The One2”, and “Our Love (U Can Get)”. Thus, I will be “shaking the shudder” for awhile or rather blasting the record in my iPod. To Buy Shake The Shudder by !!! (Chk Chk Chk) On May 19 Click Here.
