| Summary: Warning: Angry frenchmen |
2 of 2 thought this review was well written
France. A beautiful country. Full of moutainous landscapes, monuments and relics of all periods of history, a mecca for art and fashion, and home of one of the world’s most romantic languages.
But not when these ***ers use it!
Tagada Jones is a hardcore punk band based in France. Whether or not you are familiar with the language, one thing is obvious: these guys are pissed off. They play a style of punk that takes many elements out of the hardcore genre, a few from metal and even a couple from various electronic genres. All these elements mushed together create a sound that is fast, intense and angry but with a tinge of melodic hooks.
The band combines loud anger with catchier melodic sections seamlessly. Every song features transitions from loud, power-chord driven sections to a melodic hook or a catchy chorus so that the songs retain individuality and don’t get lost in a mess of noise. Such transitions are done sometimes by adding a lead riff over the driving chords, sometimes through a bass transition (the bass being not only audible, but frequently used) and sometimes just by switching the direction of the song altogether but without allowing it to sound forced. After listening to the album a couple of times, the listener will be able to remember a specific section of each song just by seeing the song’s name.
But even during its most melodic parts, the album still retains its angry sound thanks to the dual vocal attack. The main singer yells out in a very raspy voice somewhat reminiscent of Raised Fist (although not quite as unique). Their secondary singer uses only growls. He rarely sings alone but is often used to accompany the main vocalist. All lyrics are in French and are very well written for politically oriented lyrics (none of that “*** the government” crap). But even if you cannot understand them, the sheer anger featured in the music and the emotion that is seen in certain songs should be enough to keep you interested. The best example of this is the extended scream in Les Cobayes that gives me chills every time I hear it.
But sadly the album does get somewhat samey in parts. Its starts of strongly with its first 6 songs each featuring catchy hooks that clearly distinguish them from each other and make them instantly memorable. The album then hits a slight slump with Reality Show and Contre-Courant. Both those songs meld into each other and sound like filler without featuring any standout parts.Apocalypse sounds like it will keep the trend going, it eventually picks up around the 1 minutes mark to turn into a catchy, relentless little beast. Euthanasie then brings us back down for a 2 minutes of filler but is followed by the deliciously punk-flavored Star System. Cashcloses the album on a positive note with a couple of catchy riffs and some interesting use of electronics.
Tagada Jones create a very nice, very angry little punk album on L’envers du décor that manages to keep the listeners attention throughout due to its small amount of filler. Do not let the foreign language deter from this release because it does feature many great hooks both on the guitar and bass; and even though you won’t understand a word of it, that won’t stop you from appreciating the sheer anger and emotion that can be found in these songs. The band is dedicated to their causes and they make it obvious in each song.
Translated titles:
1.No clue
2.To the left and to the right
3.Ecowar
4.A Cult (although it is usually spelt with a “C” in French, not a “K”)
5.S.O.S.
6.The Guinea-Pigs (in a scientific way, not the cute animals)
7.Reality Show
8.Against the Current
9.Apocalypse
10.Euthanasia
11.Star System
12.Cash
I just realized most of them don’t need translations but they’re already typed out so enjoy!
SCREAM!
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