Duchess Says
Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs

[Alien8; 2008]

----
Styles: spazz rock
Othes: Les Georges Leningrad, Liars, Death From Above 1979, Experimental Dental School
Links: Duchess Says - Alien 8 Recordings

If you’ve been paying attention to music for the last eight years, you will no doubt recognize this brand of blown-out experimental post-punk. Duchess Says formed in Montreal in 2003, and after spending most of their career touring, they’ve finally released their first full-length, Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs. But it’s 2008 now, and their musical approach, frankly, feels like it’s over. This is not to the quartet’s discredit, however; what they do, they do well, and in only a very recent era, this record would have had the press banging down their door.

It opens with the misleading "Tenen non neu," where Annie-Claude Deschênes’ lyricless vocals stomp up and down unpredictable arpeggios and punctuated rests, while the drums, guitar, and synth leap along with her in parallel. Later, fierce, Krautrock-y, lockstep rhythms lay the foundation for metal-like guitar riffs and bleating synth punches, while A-Claude yelps unintelligibly and distortedly over the dancefloor. Anomalies like the moody, haunting "A century old" and the minimal, New-Wave-y "Black Flag" break things up, and even the less distinct songs race through numerous mutations in their short running time.

There’s a lot on offer here if you’re willing to look. I’m sure I’d discover more each time I listened to it, if I were compelled to listen to it much more in the first place. For all its vibrancy and proficiency, there’s something dead about Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs. It’s an earnest, accomplished piece of work that is, sadly, not terribly vital. But don’t eliminate these guys from your radar just yet.

1. Tenen non neu 2. Cut Up 3. La friche 4. AEAE 5. Rabies (baby’s got the) 6. A century old 7. Melon 8. I’ve got the flu 9. Black Flag 10. CH.O.B. 11. Les résidants 12. Lip gloss babyla 13. Gilbert