(Stop Start/EMI)

Horn bags and radical amphibians

Fuck the orchestra! I’m sick of playing second fiddle to those damn flautists; I’m joining a rock & roll band. Perhaps that’s one way a united front of hornists might consolidate, but it seems that New York-based indie dance group French Horn Rebellion are mostly not interested in horns nor revolutionary music. Indeed, the egregiously titled record The Infinite Music Of French Horn Rebellion proves ultimately false; their music lacking the timeless quality the name suggests. It’s a bit of a shame, because the record actually starts out pretty good before descending into the aural equivalent of being next to a nauseous kid on a Gravitron; an experience filled with uncertainty and dread.  Alternatively sounding like Passion Pit or Phoenix or MGMT or Daft Punk, early tunes like This Moment, a brainless disco-inspired song featuring over-the-top synth sounds pillaged from any number of Grandmaster Flash tunes, show promise and can inspire robotic dance moves. Last Summer is a pensive song that taps into the sound of groups like The Police before turning everything backwards with an unexpected horn conclusion (the only evidence of horns on the record from what I hear). These songs are fun in the way that watching Steven Seagal movies can occasionally be enjoyable. The main complaint with this record is that it’s way too long and ultimately way too ambitious. By the time we get to the overly drawn out Brasilia Girl, the fun has evaporated and been replaced by irritation. The first half has some shine, but the second part is stale, and thus, this record ultimately proves threadbare.

**½

DARRAGH MURRAY

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