The band self-described as having "the hardest name to search in Google," !!!, has created another dance-punk gem with Myth Takes, its third release. After taking the indie dance scene by storm with its "Me and Giuliani Down By the Schoolyard" single in 2003, !!! has consistently infused ecstatically happy pop sensibilities with the oomph of throbbing bass lines and insane amounts of energy.
Myth Takes shows the band mixing up the formula, taking the initiative of throwing in some short, straight-up pop songs along with their traditional six- or seven-minute disco-punk workouts. This former group provides some of the most memorable spots on the album, such as the bubbling mix of spy-movie guitar and whispered, restrained vocals on the title track, and the strained, yet addictive melody on "Sweet Life."
Still, the entire point of a !!! album is how well its dance floor offerings hold up-mostly, they stand up tall. "All My Heroes Are Weirdos" ambushes with an absolutely frantic pace and an overload of imagination. Fusing David Byrne style guitar with one of the best bass lines on the album, this song should haunt the trendier nightclubs in hipsterland for quite a while.
The only visible misfire here is the cleverly titled but otherwise completely unremarkable dance bore "Bend Over Beethoven." The strange absence of melodic creativity in contrast to its surroundings, in addition to the eight-minute-plus length, does its very best to kill the party.
Despite this, Myth Takes offers enough catchiness and danceability to last until rising rent pushes the last of the hipsters out of Williamsburg.
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