| 1. Korkscrew 3:10 |
| 2. Cry Wolf 3:18 |
| 3. Turning Point 3:01 |
| 4. Whirly Bird 2:30 |
| 5. Stuck On Repeat 3:13 |
| 6. Kinko's Dream 3:39 |
| 7. Majita 2:44 |
| 8. Hard Root 2:54 |
| 9. Cut + Run 2:43 |
| 10. Honyock 0:54 |
| 11. Backra Fire 4:08 |
| 12. Slow Fuse 4:46 |
"...Hasikara Smile have combined a lo-fi indie feel with a trippy dub & ethno jazz sound for the electronic age ...Elephant Gun is an album shining with rich emotions and sonic excellence"
(BEARDED MAGAZINE)
"A strange yet alluring mix of hip hop beats, psychedelia and indie. Very intriguing...." 4/5
(SUBBA-CULTCHA)
"A heady blend of fat beats, exotic guitar that comes in somewhere between alternative English indie rock and some kind of tropical world music outlook."
(THE ORGAN MAGAZINE)
I put in Hasikara Smile’s self-released debut album, ‘Elephant Gun,’ with absolutely no idea what it was. No expectations whatsoever. I heard the first couple tracks from this disc and completely fell out. The opening track, “Korkscrew,” runs on an steady syncopated percussion riff, with alternately funky and dirty guitar, cool lyrics, and freaky synthesized noise that not only fits but actually rocks. They’re not the first to use the synthesized effects, but the combination sounds fresh to my ear.
The second track, “Cry Wolf,” features childish voices singing a vocal line of playground simplicity, but it’s paired with a rock beat, driving guitar, and whistling keyboards. The overall effect reminds me of something you might hear on Battles’ experimental rock release, ‘Mirrors’. These two tracks reveal that Hasikara Smile’s two members, Fergus and Fred “Dirty Beau” (both from Norwich, UK), have what I love most in a band: ideas.
Of course, as on any release that ranges around as much as this one, not everything Hasikara Smile does works for me, personally. Some of the production is a little treble heavy and jangling. There are several songs that feature a repetitive guitar line, simple percussion, and not much else. At their worst on this release, they are merely uninteresting, though never repellent. At their best, however, they combine familiar elements in surprising ways, write catchy hooks, and produce multi-faceted, compelling electronic rock.
(ALTSOUNDS)
Try
Post je objavljen 12.08.2009. u 15:56 sati.