In this era of overly-celebratory accolades, everyone cannot be anyone unless they are “the biggest” this, “the greatest” that, “the utmost” whatever, so to say that AIDS Wolf are the craziest, most noisy band in the world would be just rubbing Tiger Balm on the nuts as a masturbatory gesture, and it might make things tingle, but it would also make things burn, which is not good. I will say this: if you’re reading this review and obviously if you got to this point, then you’re either a fan or think that the band’s name is crazy, hilarious, dumb, or all three. If you are a fan, then you know that they are crazy, they are noisy, and they are chaotic and every other word and term you can come up with. This is their new album, and it is insane.
Ma Vie Banale Avant-Garde (Lovepump United) can be listened to in a number of ways. On vinyl it is a 2 record set, and in vinyl speak that usually means “double album”. In the digital era, that simply means over “50 minutes, under 80”. In other words, a hell of a lot of music to consume. You can listen to Ma Vie Banale Avant-Garde as a sonic log of bologna, ready to be sliced and put into sandwiches. In other words, each of the 24 songs are meant to be taken in one by one, with screams, a mixture of distorted guitars and drums pushed to the limit, and a drummer who just plays without a sense of rhythm. Now you’re thinking “wait, this guy is offbeat”, and I would say no, but the outsider would think “holy crap, what is this guy doing?” AIDS Wolf’s form of music has no form, or at least it doesn’t conform to any sense of mainstream music. No verses, no choruses, and it’s hard to tell if there are beginnings, middles, or proper endings. Occasionally you will hear a bit of vocal/screaming continuity from Chloe Lum, and that might double as cues for the band to switch to another part of the song, or for the rest of the band to take a brief break from the cacophony they love to do.
Upon listening to this album and taking everything in one after the other, I also liked to hear the album as a whole, as if it’s one symphonic piece meant to be digested as one indigestible biscuit, but divided into 24 distinct movements. By the time you get to the end, then your stomach finally feels the effect and instead of things being multi-orgasmic, you just feel the urge to release and bust out some doots. It’s the kind of gospel, the unknown “speaking in tongues” that I wish the entire world would do and understand, it might be a little easier to relate to one another. It sounds incredible, and I found myself listening to this album consistently, over and over, as one indigestible biscuit before realizing I’m going to have to let go because my booty was tingling.
In laymen’s terms, “Ma Vie Banale Avant-Garde is a psychotic album of noise rock that sounds misplaced, but there are levels of organization in that chaos, which shows a bit of organization on their part. This isn’t just “every man and woman for themselves” and see what happens, but to enter into AIDS Wolf means knowing the risks but being confident that once you see the exit sign, you’ll feel satisfied. This is satisfaction at its best, and Ma Vie Banale Avant-Garde has become one of my favorite albums of the year.
(You can order the album from the Amazon box below, or buy the double LP direct from the official Lovepump United online store.)
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005FQNIBChttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0041A1C16http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004F9YKEE
This Is Book's Music 