Label: Knife Slits Water

http://www.knifeslitswater.org/
Reviews: Chronic Heist - Quick fix with repairs 7" / The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Making love with time 12"
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Chronic Heist - Quick fix with repairs 7Chronic Heist
Quick fix with repairs 7"
Knife Slits Water

6

The shambling honky-tonk goth of Chronic Heist is both familiar and other-worldly, in that I know I've heard it before, but I just can't place it. The trio ambles its way through a two-track workout on this 7", drunkenly wobbling and menacing, though desperate to hold on to the last remnants of cocktail pianist geniality. There's something not quite right in that smile, so don't make eye contact. No, this is not the peppy jazz of Miss Li, nor the confessional musings of Frida Hyvönen; this is darker, weirder. They've got swing though, that's for sure. Those of you curious to explore the outlying edges of DIY post-hardcore/indie experimentalism, ala Tar...Feathers, Knife and Ape, et al are sure to find something to like, but I suspect casual indie heads will remain vexed. As for me, the band continues to try new things and I enjoy that, I just don't think they've perfected it yet.
- Avi Roig

Fri, Nov 14th, 2008 00:00:00

The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Making love with time 12The Je Ne Sais Quoi
Making love with time 12"
Knife Slits Water/Mono-Rethorik

7

The clock-face silkscreen on this one-sided EP is almost enough to make the record worth purchasing, but the quality of the music seals the deal. The title track continues very much in the punk-funk/disco direction of recent album "Rhythm", further raising the bar with a squiggly synth bassline, plentiful hand-claps and prominent keyboard arpeggios. Follow-up track "I read the signs" goes for a more syncopated attack and leans far heavier toward the disco side of things. It's not as immediately catchy as "Making love with time", but it more than makes up for it by being a far more fully realized composition with many intricate parts and a superb vocal arrangement. Lastly, the Eester Benny remix of "Rhythm" brings it all together, layering complicated harmonies and patterns over an even squigglier, liquid bass track. What else can be said? Three out of three is alright by me.
- Avi Roig

Thu, Nov 6th, 2008 00:00:00