steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Je m'appelle Mads

"Musculature de pomfrit" CD

Jenka Music

Genres: electronica, videogame music, lounge

Jenka Music
Faelledvej 3
2200 Cph. N
Denmark

Aug 27 - Sep 3 2004

Based on this album's cover, I was expecting a cruelly ridiculous foray into experimental electronics.  The deliciously offensive pictures and liner notes spelled trouble.  But when it finally came time to give Musculature de pomfrit a spin in the olde compact disc player, I was pleasantly surprised.  Instead of that cold spray of white noise I expected, I got a wide array of 8-bit melodies and satirized club-isms.  Though I was on edge throughout the entire disc (you can never tell when that harsh noise blast is going to hit you), my fears never came into fruition.  Je m'appelle Mads' disc, as a result, has become one of my current favourites.

I can't quite tell whether Musculature is a joke or not, but regardless of Mads' tongue-in-cheek motives, this is a very talented offering.  Melodically, these songs are incredibly tight - the mood, a combination of peppy excitement and somewhat smarmy kitsch, is one that can be loved both as a novelty and as plainly excellent music.

Musculature seems to have a few styles - one is a sort of bachelor-pad lounge (as evidenced on "Hued rimer pa silk?" and the vocal-led "Det dufter sa dejligt")  that goes down easy and leaves a fizzy taste in the mouth.  On the other side of the spectrum is 8-bit videogame music ("Alt det man drommer om" and "Det sagde han ogsa igar"), as well as almost mockingly club-like electro in the form of "Hey DJ Jens" and "Jeg kan huske da Morten Munkholdt Fik en computer."  Other particularly inspired moments include the fart-beats of the "Hey DJ Jens" intro and some funky car-horn techno in "Bilerne de er Falige."

Although I would contend that a couple of these songs don't live up to the majority, I also feel that Musculature de pomfrit is a terrific record that can entertain from start to finish.  A must for dinner parties, headphone listening, and, of course, sexual intercourse.

88%

Fun Fact: For more Musculature action, be sure to press the rewind (backward) button while on track one.  You can go back and get an extra thirty minutes of hidden music.  That ain't shabby.

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 13 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2004]