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Single:
Chikinki � Like It or Leave It
Label: Sink and Stove Records
Released:
March 4th
From the album: Experiment with mother
Interesting
stuff. The first twenty seconds of acoustic guitar and flutey synth melody
confirm the expectations engendered by the typically indie pink sleeve, complete
with stylised chubby titles and negative of the band. My preconceptions are
given a smart slapping down though when the crunchy double time beats kick in,
and a bassline the size of a house swamps my senses. Bizarre. This is like
Digital Hardcore meets lo-fi indie. Now, I have an irrational disgust for the
latter half of this pairing, but Atari Teenage Riot saved me aged 19 from an
unhealthy Throbbing Gristle fixation, so I�m not going to throw this CD straight
in the bin.
The singer
has a great rock&roll voice which is extremely redolent of someone, but
I�m not sure who. It could be XC-NN I�m thinking of. His talents are best put to
use on the lead track and the closer, a new update of the album track Dark
Skies. I really like his sneery, sliding delivery and it�s not something I�d
quickly tire of hearing, unlike a lot of idiosyncratic singers.
I�d have to
say that probably his voice is the most lastingly impressive element of this
single. The melodies are forgettable, and the beats are too flabby to either
drive the music or sound good in themselves. Rather like a lot of DHR records to
be honest. I don�t know whether they�re using a drum machine, or sampling a live
drummer, but the patterns sound static and flat; rhythm, but lacking any groove.
And the distortion is way over the top. Maybe they�re aiming for all these
things, who knows? But if they are then they�re going to have to take the
consequences of most beatfreaks thinking it sounds shit. Sorry guys.
Of the four
tracks on display here, it�s the third that stands out as being absolutely
terrible. Dreary fucking Sarah label Muzak which, true to its title (Let�s get
lost) goes nowhere and does nothing of value. It makes me want to drown small
animals.
Tellingly,
this is the one track devoid of any overtly electronic overtones. The second
track, Robotic age, shares the lead track�s crunchy beats and stupidly PHAT
BASS. It demonstrates a more experimental angle though, the lack of any vocal
verses leaving more room for sonic play. This is definitely interesting stuff,
and although it doesn�t really go anywhere there�s plenty of ideas to keep the
attention. And I love the electronic pseudo-scratching in the penultimate
section. I haven�t got a clue how they did this, and it�s not often I can say
that. It might be a guitar synth, but if it is they�ve done some serious editing
to the presets.
Dark Skies
seems to be the most impressive track here. It has the most passion, the most
aggression and is better constructed than the previous three, progressing
through distinct sections and key changes. I can�t particularly think of
anything else to say about it, but I like it.
Verdict?
Well, like the vast majority of music, this single is not going to change your
life. But there are some good ideas on here, and Chikinki have an approach to
music that I�ve not heard before and that�s always a good thing. They�ve got
talent and inspiration and there�s much here to like. Personally I�m going to be
keeping an eye on them to see how they develop and in a couple of years I might
just be proud to say I reviewed this.
Michael Miller
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