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So a few years back, I'm perusing my local record store. It was the time in my life where I would check out anything that could be seen as "emo." Fate be it, I see an album that says "!!!” 'How odd' I think, and then notice a sticker that one of the dudes at the store had put on the album; it said something to the extent of "if you like emo, you’ll love this!" So I picked it up, along with Cross My Heart's Temporary Contemporary. I got home, put in the !!! album, and lo and behold, some funky funky music busted out of my stereo.

This was my first exposure to !!! (which apparently is pronounced "Chk Chk Chk," as opposed to "Exclamation Point Exclamation Point Exclamation Point"). It was odd, and it was different, but it was damn fun to listen to. Though the production was a bit lacking, it was easy to hear about a million things going on in each song. Funky bass lines, some jazzy horns, excellent guitar effects: it was all there. The album contained only seven songs, but the songs were long enough to make the album last the better part of an hour.

So the music was kickin', but how bout the vocals and lyrics? The vocals come across in an almost deadpan voice, that kind that clashes with the upbeat music, but it’s still apparent that the singer is jamming out like the rest of the band. The lyrics are not the best ever written but they are tolerable. Topics include drugs, something or other about getting INTENSIFIED, and my personal favorite, the feeling of autumn, titled "The Feel Good Hit of the Fall." Sure, it’s not sociopolitical rhetoric or heartfelt songs about girls, but it works.

So in the end, !!!'s first album was not emo...hell, it wasn’t very close to being punk, but it was one of the freshest sounds I had heard in a while. With the exception of the production, which could have been a bit better, this album is a solid release, and totally makes a good party album. You cant help but dance to the funk, baby. Or if you’re not in the mood for a party, just leave the album on your table as a conversation piece:

"Hey, how the hell do you pronounce the name of this band?"

"Well...."



People who liked this also liked:
Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness TriumphantAt The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul [re-issue]Falling Forward - Hand Me DownThe 101 - The 101Mike Ness - Cheating At SolitaireA Radio With Guts - Beat Heart Sweet StereoKalmah - SwampsongGreg Graffin - American Lesion (as American Lesion)Fifteen - Buzz



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    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 17, 2004 at 7:57 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "gay as fuckfuck"

    hahahahahaaaa!! fuck yeah thanks for the laugh

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, December 13, 2004 at 5:55 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    no one gives a shit about your stupid fucking story at the beginning. just write about the music, dickhead.

    Posted by lordoftheflies on 2004-12-13 05:58:17
    My Score:

    triple-x...clamation mark

    Posted by theundergroundscene on 2004-12-12 22:43:43
    My Score:

    "chick chick chick" or "pow pow pow" or any sound repeated three times, or so the band says.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 12, 2004 at 7:47 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    how would you pronounce this band name?

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 12, 2004 at 4:55 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    The cover looks fury. This score's for that. I haven't actually heard this band before, but I hope that they're better than Communiqué.

    -Chinatown

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 12, 2004 at 4:49 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "This hatred for !!! has totally come out of nowhere...a year ago, people loved them. What happened?"

    I think its the term "dance punk." I like them, but the genre sounds pretty faggy.

    Posted by theundergroundscene on 2004-12-12 11:24:08
    My Score:

    This hatred for !!! has totally come out of nowhere...a year ago, people loved them. What happened?

    Posted by punkcorekid on 2004-12-12 00:02:15
    My Score:

    Gay as fuckfuck.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 8:22 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "Intensify" is definately the highlight, where everybody breaks it down with the vocals-only, and then they start layering it... I tell you, I am so easily tempted to sing this on the bus everyday when I listen to it.

    Rob.

    Posted by yellowtrash on 2004-12-11 19:46:33
    My Score:

    This is pretty good. Everyone who likes this should check out this 80s no-wave band called Liquid Liquid. There's a good amount of their influence on this record.

    Posted by GYBE on 2004-12-11 17:29:04
    My Score:

    "original original original, douche bags"

    !!! is the D-Plan with weaker songwriting and less fun.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 4:56 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    i love lamp

    Posted by Cos on 2004-12-11 15:07:31
    My Score:

    I've been listen to their latest, "Louden Up Now," quite a lot lately... good intersection of James Brown and New Order, and not a bad disc to put on at a party.

    --Cos

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 1:53 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Fuck this white boy funk. Go out and but some James Brown.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 12:05 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    yo this band is fucking shit dude. you all need to listen to some proper crunching core!

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 11:39 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    maybe, but still a fun band

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 11:32 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Scene Scene Scene.

    -BSD

    Posted by lou on 2004-12-11 02:30:26
    My Score:

    could you just pretend the word "by" is found in between "band" and "repeating" in the post below? yea, thanks.

    Posted by lou on 2004-12-11 02:29:14
    My Score:

    Answer: chk chk chk
    Question: what is the sound a typewriter makes?

    i like this band. everyone is entitled to their opinion though. but making fun of this band repeating the same derogatory comment three times is not only unoriginal, but it makes you wrong too.

    Posted by sweetsugarpezz on 2004-12-11 01:14:01
    My Score:

    "sucks sucks sucks sucks." Yeah I put 4 sucks in there

    yaaaaa maaaann, blink totally rules dude!!!!

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 1:11 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    original original original, douche bags

    Posted by Eddie on 2004-12-11 00:26:13
    My Score:

    best band ever

    Posted by blinkrules on 2004-12-10 23:21:26
    My Score:

    "sucks sucks sucks sucks." Yeah I put 4 sucks in there

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 10, 2004 at 11:09 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    lets take bets on how many comments will be insulting this record three times with exclimation points

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 10, 2004 at 10:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "Shit Shit Shit"

    Posted by theundergroundscene on 2004-12-10 22:30:07
    My Score:

    "There's No Fucking Rules, Dude" is one of the best dance songs around. It's totally awesome.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 10, 2004 at 10:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    crap! crap! crap!

    Posted by swingline on 2004-12-10 22:15:00
    My Score:

    springfield

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