Sounds good rolling off the tongue doesn't it? Besides being this Canadian band's infamous moniker, that catchphrase is typically what audience mutter when they bear witness to this band's spastic, lo-fi, weirdo Casio driven live sets. Their paroxysmal performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival even caught the ear of NME, who named them one of the year’s top new acts. Lucky for those of us that missed out, this eclecto-electro-indie band, the brainchild of Graham Walsh and Brian Borcherdt and a rotating cast of their close friends, has managed to capture their frenetic live energy on wax here, with their debut LP- "LP" (yup, that's the real name.)
Holy Fuck’s use of organic instruments and non- instruments (such as a 35 mm film sequencer) transcends this LP from standard fare electronica. HF’s ability to sound so syncopated without the luxury of laptops or digital sequencers produces an otherworldly experience. The eerie “Frenchy’s” which begins with an eerie loop that resembles a lunar modular landing, is a prime example.
Sure, calling their sound- Instrumental Analog Freak Out Rock- might not be a stretch, but these Canucks maneuver across so many sonic spectrums that doing so would be an unjust. Take the metallic, pulsating beats heard on “Milkshake” which cringe unlike anything heard on any dance floor. They are unpredictable and emblematic of the Sci-Fi improvisational marvel that is Holy Fuck.
The convulsive rhythms encountered –like the pounding machine gun attack heard on “Choppers” or the rollicking, topsy-turvy chaos on “Super Inuit” makes one wonder- perhaps LP should come attached with an epileptic seizure warning? No worries though, HF throws in some good hooks to make our auditory spasms pleasurable. Take “Lovely Allen” for instance; it has the stadium size grandeur of The Verve only with a slight interplanetary twist
Holy Fuck is fucking spooky too; the sleazy and brooding “Echo Sam” will definitely creep out some listeners with its primal, guttural yelps. And, if there ever was a song that embodies what a group of devil worshiping carnival clowns, influenced by Parliament Funkadelic and Kid A would sound like- “Safari” would be it. Hey, there’s a reason why HF has been tagged Toronto’s evil super group.
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