The Je Ne Sais Quoi
Rhythm
La Firme/NONS

Finally, a dance-punk band that is doing it all right and will keep you moving all night. The second full-length from The Je Ne Sais Quoi is quite a stunner, and a much-welcomed improvement upon their first album and EP. The band has (for the most part) traded in their previous to the lo-fi production, hestitant drumming and angular guitars for lush orchestrations, vocoders, gorgeous melodies and rock-solid beats - and the results are truly amazing. Having released "Chameleon" as a single what seems over a year ago, the band has used that as a rough blueprint when it came to solidifying what makes "Rhythm" so captivating. Songs such as "Heroica" and "I see it faint tonight" are of the mellow kind, but still are quite danceable, as mellow is a term used loosely to desribe them. "DWTTATF" melds a Parliament-esque synth bassline with incredible hooks, and the following track "Skeletal shakes" harkens on a slight angular guitar riff, but then the chorus hits an almost hip-hop style beat and achieves greatness. To be honest, I really wasn't expecting this album to be as good as it is and, for their own sake, The Je Ne Sais Quoi have created one of the best Scandinavian releases of the year.
- Matt Giordano