!!! - As If

!!!
As If
2015

Dance-punk is quite the interesting genre. Borrowing form the excess of the 70s and the dourness of the 80s Dance-punk with the likes of Hot Chip and LCD Sound System were always trying to push the music that they loved forward. This is not EDM nor is it Trance or House it is something totally it's own. It probably goes without saying that these albums did not have much of a sense of humor or took their music likely, for these bands what they were doing was important and people needed to take notice. While some of that may be true !!! was the one band to allow themselves to laugh and realize the cosmic joke of it all. But there is still that air of superiority that almost comes as a prerequisite with the genre, like this music is so much better than anything anyone else is doing. It is palpable on As If that this band is under the impression that what they are doing is very cool but, that hubris detracts from an otherwise pretty solid album. Where this record fits in to today's world though is not quite clear, it is not really progressive nor an homage instead it just kind of feels like a record out of place.

The record that Hot Chip put out this year Why Make Sense? was so much more concise and present that it just makes As If  seem to be trying and play catch up. "Bam City" is far and away one of the weakest tracks on the record that seems to have no rhythm or reason for being on here. It is repetitive and lacks any kind of melody worth following. Even "Funk (I Got This)" which you would expect to really cook with a nice bass line instead features a synth bass playing a line that is completely basic and underwhelming. Despite a couple tracks at the beginning As If nothing really connects. This is one you can absolutely skip and not loose any sleep over it.

4.6 out of 10