Mahjongg
Issue #35
Kontpab (K)
By Katerina Herodotou
Published: March 1st, 2008 | 2:46pm
While any music writer hesitates to lift text from a band's one-sheet, it's hard not to for Mahjongg. A band that wears its influences on its sleeve, will, of course, list them on press materials, and thus Mahjongg continue to channel legend Fela Kuti on their new release, Kontpab.
The first half of the album is a dance-driven smorgasbord of enthusiasm. Sounding like a drum circle run by arty hipsters, it is slightly retro and self-consciously futuristic at the same time. Elements of whoozy electro permeate each track, but are most evident on the second, "Problems" — a decidedly ’80s club track perhaps suffering from a stomachache. Elements of Brian Eno become apparent through echoed vocals and the chanting that compromises most of the backup vocals.
The band veers into video game noise territory halfway through the disc, living up to the art-punk rep the members have garnered since their first releases. Fretting through their post-punk guitar lines and drum machines, Kontpab presents a jittery tribe of musicians, harking to a 21st century Mud Club while still appreciating their forebears. Unfortunately, the tracks become less catchy over the second half of the record, beginning with "Those Birds Are Bats," which swerves into annoying freak-folk territory, complete with group choruses and hippie vibes — albeit much louder than the likes of Devendra Banhart or Akron/Family. Thankfully, the band still manages to shine through the clichés. Opening track "Pontiac" begs to be skipped back to over and over again for a dance kick or a jolt in the morning.
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