! Myth Takes CD

With 2007's MYTH TAKES, the Brooklyn-based dance-punk octet !!! (aka Chk Chk Chk) presents an outing that's notably more accessible and immediately engaging that its predecessors. Not only have frontman Nic Offer and company reined in the excessive swearing (see the expletive-laden LOUDEN UP NOW), they have imbued their brand of robot rock with added elasticity and energy, as best revealed on the fast-paced opening title track, which coasts along on a twangy surf/spaghetti Western vibe, and the pulsing, club-ready "Heart of Hearts."

However, those worried that the ensemble has dulled its mischievous edge will be reassured by the searing, frenetic "All My Heroes Are Weirdos" and the atmospheric, groove-steeped "Bend Over Beethoven," two tunes that prove that !!!'s blatantly quirky and experimental side has been toned down, but not forgotten. For those intrigued by !!!, but put off by the band's uber-hipster archness, MYTH TAKES may be the point where they join in the party.

Of all the dance-punk revivalists, !!! has been the most consistently interesting and challenging, not to mention the group most likely to fill the dancefloor on indie rock night. While their previous album, the political and righteous Louden Up Now, was good enough to vault them to the level of the bands that inspired them (Gang of Four, the Pop Group, Liquid Liquid), Myth Takes firmly establishes them there. It's a different fire that burns here for !!!, mostly setting aside political concerns for fiery dancefloor rave-ups. The band sounds inspired, like they are plugged directly into a wall socket. The first three tracks are like opening a door and being blasted backward by a wall of flame and heat. Nic Offer's vocal chants, asides, and strung-together proclamations are more frantic than ever, and when he turns it down a notch, he sounds nearly sexy (as on "Must Be the Moon," a desperate story of sex and lust in the city). He has to be a live wire of energy to keep up with the band, which burns brightly and plays like they have something to prove from beginning to end. This is especially true of Justin van der Volgen, whose bass work underpins the freewheeling walls of chik-ing guitars with a fluid and funky bottom. His production is a masterwork, balancing and blending a kaleidoscope of guitars, drums, percussion, keys, and vocals. The record could have easily sounded like a mess, but he makes it sound alive and raw. When !!! finally slows things down after that initial burst, they do some interesting things -- "Heart of Hearts" is a dancefloor filler that manages to sound menacing and rubbery at the same time, "Break in Case of Anything" is a kitchen-sink funk epic that has elements of disco, dub, hip-hop, and a killer horn section, and "Yadnus" is a fun mash-up of glitter drumbeats, tough-guy vocals, chicken-scratch guitars, and sweeping synths. The only tracks that let the side down a bit are the slightly generic "Bend Over Beethoven," which sounds like something they could have come up with in their sleep, and the ballad that ends the album, "Infiniford." On that last song, Offer's vocals don't suit the somber mood very well, and it's a down note to end such a wild ride of an album. These stumbles aside, Myth Takes is a thrilling success. Not to

Recording information: A House In Nashville, TN; Brothers Studio; Club Taffe; Hangar.

Personnel: Nic Offer (vocals, guitar, keyboards); John Pugh (vocals, drums, percussion); Madeline Davies, Olivia Mori, Shannon Funchess, Molly Schnick, Phyllis Forbes (vocals); Mario Andreoni (guitar, keyboards, percussion); Tyler Pope (guitar, synthesizer, drum programming); Eric Emm (E-bow); Amy Cimini (viola); Heather Sommerlad, Lori Told, Adele Mori (strings); Allan Wilson (horns, synthesizer, percussion); Daniel Gorman (horns, synthesizer, background vocals); Jared Samuel (Clavinet); Dayvan Duronslet, Joseph Baldbridge, John Blake (drums).

Audio Mixers: Justin van der Volgen; Eric Emm; Chris Woodhouse; Joshua Ryan.Rolling Stone (p.81) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Expertly modulated tension-and-release and modest atmospherics are routinely deployed on their third album..."
Spin (p.86) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "MYTH TAKES juxtaposes tribal post-punk with crooked attempts at actual pop, giving their epic groove-riders a booty-stimulating boost."
Entertainment Weekly (p.109) - "These guys are all about the groove, and when they're on -- as on 'Bend Over Beethoven' and 'Heart of Hearts' -- few can match their percussive intensity." -- Grade: B
Q (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[F]rontman Nic Offer remains an underrated vocalist, adding contorted yelps to 'All My Heroes Are Weirdos' and a disco falsetto on 'Sweet Life.'"
Alternative Press (p.192) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he Brooklyn octet haven't lost an iota of edginess, funk or raucousness. !!! have crafted their most accessible and uncompromising."
Magnet (p.90) - "!!! sidles up to Hendrix-worthy wah-wah funk, finger-wagging dance jams and ghostly sound collages..."