I’m very glad that Childrenn‘s debut album (which came out earlier last month) didn’t slip past me as these Danish peeps have come up with something that I’ve really been enjoying. Made up of several members from such acts as Psyched Up Janis, Mechanical Bird and Powersolo to name but a few, Animale defies easy labelling. Personally I’d call it a strange hybrid of post-punk/rock with a liberal dash of psychedelia thrown in for good measure. Opener Handcuffed kicks things off with a hypnotic riff that is somehow quite dreamy as the lead work spirals off into the ether. It’s not weak by any means, with well-thought out arrangements that are kind of (but not wholly) reminiscent of a late of 80’s indie bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees – yet it’s more alt-rock than punk. Get your groove on with Black Unicorn, a solid yet not overly heavy tune. Reverb, echo and delay are awash on this album. I think of U2 before they went all ploppy (yes, there was a time…) and the fuzzy bass interlude is vastly improved by the notes picked out over the top. There’s a strong indie groove to this one. The Mission and The Cult‘s sound also comes to mind with tracks such as Submission which is atmospherical and comfortingly familiar as the sturdy riffs present a gothy stance of integrity and quality. (Shall I get the bags of flour ready? – goth Ed.)
Title track Animale again brings back the hypnotic quality as it straddles the border-line of out and out psychedelia – think Mother Susurruss or the Death Hawks. There’s plenty of wibbly-wobbly electro noise and it gets a bit sludgy at points. Towards the back-end of the track there’s wind and twangy chords. I’m left feeling oddly bereft but the track gets all ‘Jean Michel Jarre‘ with synthy twinkles as it switches into It’s Time to Leave, which is beautiful. Set your jaw, gird your loins, and gaze off into the distance. That’s what this music advises you to do. The final track (alas, there are only six tracks on here) starts mellow and tremulous – there’s an almost falsetto vocal going on – before becoming an tribal-esque chanting number, much like a pimped up Strokes tune. It’s primitive and I want to eat the weakest member of the tribe (or sacrifice them to the Sun Gods at the very least). A powerful finish (or do I mean Danish?) and I’m interested to see what these peeps will come up with next.
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