Less the Band (http://lesstheband.com) are a strange group. If science-fiction author Philip K. Dick had formed a rock band, it probably would've sounded like Less the Band. This isn't so much as an album, at least how people would normally intepret a LP, than a collection of shattered pieces. It's a broken puzzle of a record, filled with odd detours, enigmatic sounds, indecipherable lyrics, and outer-space electronics. Alternative music? Less the Band define that term.
For the sonically adventurous, or anybody sick of predictability and cookie-cutter boredom, Less the Band is what you have been longing for. Opening with the spare, droning "Science," Less the Band summon the sly talk-singing of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" and give it an Eels makeover on "I Want to Know You," a bizarre tale of longing well-suited for robotic courtship.
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Less the Band's short attention span never has them sticking to a groove. On "Cord On Rat," the group goes nuts, copping a Pink Floyd "Money" riff with the ominous tones of Joy Division then abruptly crashing into a stomping beat and strangely rapped vocals. Your parents will be scared.
Much has been made of the post-punk revival lately, but Less The Band more accurately reflects the no-compromise edges of the genre's original philosophy than many of today's wanna-be's. With obvious influences ranging from Public Image Ltd. to Sonic Youth and the Pixies, Less the Band embody the damn the mainstream attitude which sparked post-punk in the first place.
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