With eight members and an emphasis on rhythm and danceability, !!! (conventionally pronounced “chk-chk-chk”) have sometimes lacked focus. While the band provides the perfect sound track to running really fast or freaking out, the human touch is often lost in the conglomeration of sounds. With Myth Takes !!! realize that those exclamation points can refer to emotion, not just excitement.
The album has several danceable, catchy rhythms. Like the Talking Heads, !!! operate on the idea that if you are going to have a lot of instruments in the band, they all have to be doing something different, though complementary. As such, the thumping drums, deep bass and synth blibs come first, with the vocals and melodies added where appropriate. Riffs and melodies start and stop, are picked up and then dropped again. Sometimes the beats themselves are enough to engage the listener, as with the sing-along “Must be the Moon” and the layered “Bend over Beethoven.”
Singer Nic Offer manages to sound earnest enough to grab your attention in such tracks as the loopy “Heart of Hearts,” where even background hums are full of character. The slinky opening number, “Myth Takes”, evokes seedy late city nights, while standout track “Yadnus” could almost be a George Thoroughgood song with its repetitive bassline and “wah-wah” guitar pedal effects. The song’s dark vocals and layers of synths and percussion give it a decidedly more complex feel. The last track, “Infinifold,” sounds unlike anything else the band has created yet. It’s atmospheric, slow and even, but with that same driving energy that keeps the rest going.
!!! has always inspired unconventional dance moves. With Myth Takes, the band has added enough emotion to hold even the stationary listener’s attention.
