MP3: The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Rhythm
Typically, I'm not too big on the punk-funk thing. !!! was a massive disappointment after the Yah Mos and I always liked the Rapture better back in the beginning, when they sounded more like Wire. Yet, somehow The Je Ne Sais Quoi appeals to me. Maybe it's the lack of personal history? Or perhaps it's simply because they're a better band? TJNSQ succeeds where the others fail, by maintaining that punk energy and, at the same time, displaying serious musical chops. I wouldn't necessarily call them virtuosic, but they hold their own far better than the other examples I've cited. There's a lot of syncopation going on in the title track "Rhythm" (as one would expect from the title), but it's nothing that would trip you up on the dancefloor. That would defeat the point, right? And listen to those tight vocal lines - that's the stuff that makes TJNSQ better than average. While I'm still not bonkers about this sort of thing, they do what they do and they do it well. I can get down with that.
The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Rhythm