Push

When Sextiles Brady Keehn and Melissa Scaduto started making music together again following the death of former bassist Eddie Wuebben, it wasnt just a reunion -- it was a reincarnation. Stripping away any lingering traces of A Thousand Hands mysticism, they dove deeper into the spiky dance music they hinted at on Albeit Living and especially the 3 EP. On Push, the duo commits to this approach more fully and more widely. Sextiles first album for Sacred Bones proves that punk and electronic music can still sound dangerous and exciting when theyre thrown together, largely because Scaduto and Keehn sound so excited to be combining them. Though they close Push with "Plastic" and "Imposter," a pair of ferocious bursts worthy of their earlier albums, they spend most of their time creating mutant tracks that sound equally at home in a mosh pit or at a rave. The raw electro bassline gives "Contortion"s vampirish brooding a slinky backbone, but this juxtaposition is subtle compared to "Crassy Mel"s improbable but magnetic mix of churning guitars, twisted fire-starting breakbeats, ambient breakdowns, and Scadutos perma-sneer. Her voice is more prominent on Push than on any of Sextiles previous work, heightening the volatility of moments like "No Fun," a tale of teenage car theft thats equally indebted to 90s trance and Adult., or the dreamy acid reflections of "New York." Keehn and Scaduto channel the energy of the dancefloor not only with the albums tempos, but its rapid changes. Midway through, "Crash" offers a hypnotic respite and a statement of purpose: "Dance away yourself." Sextile also creates a distinctive sense of place on Push, widening "Modern Weekend"s punk drawl with rapturous synths and the whoosh of L.A. traffic and satirizing the local music scene with "LA DJ," which throbs with the anticipation of waiting to enter the club and nails the details ("Hes still playing the Kinks/Hes still playing the Flamin Groovies"). Keehn and Scaduto move from idea to idea so quickly the album sometimes sounds more like a collection of singles, but there are so many standout moments that it hardly matters. This version of Sextile has energy, fun, and potential to spare, and Push confounds expectations thrillingly. ~ Heather Phares

LAを拠点とするトリオが発表した新作は、ガバやハードコア・テクノの激しいエナジーが凝縮されたポスト・パンクを鳴り響かせる。ダークな音の数々は怒りを隠さず、その怒りを加速させるかのように各曲のBPMは速めだ。そのサウンドは、いまイギリスを賑わせている音楽イヴェント、ユーロ・クラッシュ周辺のアーティストたちと共鳴可能な感性も窺える。
bounce (C)近藤真弥