Les Fauves - N.A.L.T. 1- A Fast Introduction

  by Andrew Carver

published: 22 / 3 / 2008

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Review

Les Fauves take their name from the ‘wild beasts’ of early 20th century art, but instead of the ferocious colour and untamed brushwork of Matisse and Co., the Italian quartet would seem to prefer the heavy basswork of post-punk and the deadpan vocals and fuzzed guitar of bands like the Jesus and Mary Chain on the opener ‘Please Please Please’ and discopunk excess from the sound of tunes like ‘Fava Go Go Dancer’ and ‘Twister Twist’. The band paces thing well, alternating between manic dance energy with dreamier offerings like ‘Atomic Winter’ and ‘The Holy Church’. The band’s sound offers a bouncy, slightly less civilized update on the lo-fi small-town postpunk of the mid-80's, propelling the swirls of synth with propulsive bass and jabs of spiky guitar. At times singer Pap Sfroocer sounds a bit like a Mediterranean Gaz Coombes, with a matching yelp. Finally, the band jumps forward a decade on the glitchy ‘Heroin Melody’. The album as a whole is a fresh-sounding excursion into the waters occupied by bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Track Listing:-

1 Please Please Please
2 In The Fallout Shelter
3 Fava Go Go Dancer
4 Twister Twist
5 Atomic Winter
6 Novara
7 No Spaghindie
8 Freak Riot
9 Tom Ponzi's Boogie
10 The Holy Church
11 Alright
12 Bombs On The S.I.A.E.
13 The Heroin Melody