When miss Barbara H asked me to write something about the new Cobra Killer album, i wasn't that enthusiastic about the music i was to hear... I'm a bit fed up with all these electroclash girl bands: always committed, always screaming... and i was disapointed by Le Tigre and Chicks on Speed's last productions. Besides, i was aware of these two girls' reputation : crazy on stage, but musically limited to an electropunk chaos. Of course, i decided not to pay attention to this reputation, and i was right no to.

The 3 first tracks are the perfect mix between punk and electronic music, cold and effective. Then it becomes more subtle with "L.A Shaker," and completely hypnotic with the great "Ten Thousand Tissues" (i'm really into the bass line). And then, as if by magic, "High is the Pine" arrives ; yes, they are romantic too... The rest of the album is as convincing as the begining. "I Like It When It Burns a Bit" is definitely a hit. There may be one or two more anecdotic songs, but that's what makes the album pleasant both to listen AND to dance to. You can hear that these girls come from punk music, but they make both electro and punk evolve by successfully mixing their various influences (all kinds of new and old sounds are present).

To conclude, the music is sensitive, each song has its own personality, the melodies are heady and you will appreciate the album several times in a row without getting bored of their voices. Perfect.

-Grib

/nov 1st 2004/