I remember seeing this band show up on our Music 4 Less/Sound Shop product calendar eight or nine years ago and I wondered who the hell would name their band "exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point?" That's like naming your band Shitwad, it doesn't have a chance. So it was too dumb for me to stock it, and where would you alphabetize it anyway. A few years later I run into them at WPRK during my eighteen month revival of the famous "PM in the AM" show, but my bias rules out and I don't even give it a listen, but I at least learned the pronunciation of the band name. Fast forward to October this year and I see a new release for the band, so I figure since they've survived with that stupid name this long that I would finally give it a shot. And wouldn't you know it, I like it! As a matter of fact, I was playing the bejesus out of Radio 4 and the Rapture at WPRK, and they were other bands cut from that same NYC post-punk dance rock scene as !!!. I suppose you could throw the Scissor Sisters into that group, too.
While spinning "...Weather...", there is the immediate latter-day Gang of 4 influence along with the Clash and Public Image Limited, and maybe just a smidgen of Kid Creole buried underneath. The obvious current day comparison is
LCD Soundsystem, but LCD is more precise and witty where !!! is looser and sweaty. Here is a
live video from France in which you will get a better visual sense of the band, though the sound quality is quite poor, but I reason you can hear their music anywhere else.
"Strange Weather..." is 40 minutes of energetic fun. Put it on at a party and watch the heads start to bob across the room, or play it in your car on an open road, but watch your speed!
