September 11, 2010

By Jason Lipshutz

!!! (pronounced chk-chk-chk) makes music for the body. The California dance-punk outfit's slick basslines, pounding polyrhythms and uncomplicated lyrics make it easy to shut off your brain and lose yourself in the grooves. Its 2007 album, "Myth Takes," included some memorable dance jams. But on its latest release, "Strange Weather, Isn't It?," the band wholeheartedly commits to upbeat movement. The track "The Most Certain Sure" combines Talking Heads-esque guitar licks with a sweaty techno beat, while "Jump Back" uses a sinister undercurrent to expand the album's lighthearted aesthetic. !!! hopscotches across multiple styles, but Nic Offer's deep, breathy vocals give the group a defining sense of danger that similar acts like the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem lack. "Strange Weather, Isn't It?" is not life-altering fare, but the album's 40 minutes of club-approved funk-rock signals another noteworthy entry in the band's discography.

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