Super Extra Bonus Party LP

Album Review

Now consisting of up to nine members, depending on the criteria used, Wicklow's Super Extra Bonus Party have fashioned a sound blending studious electronics with an array of live instrumentation which does not nestle cozily in any traditional genre category. Sultry Irish songstress Nina Hynes adds live vocals to two tracks, and is sampled counting to four amid the lush ambience of "Softly." Brazilian MC Rodrigo Teles adds growled rhymes in Portuguese to "Son Varios" and the flamenco-flavored DJ track "Spanik Sabotage," as well as a more playful turn on "Favourite Things" which is inspired by the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic. The single "Everything Flows," featuring Channel One vocalist Paul O'Reilly, and "Erosion," featuring Iain Defector of Kill City Defectors, suggests a sound more in line with the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Klaxons, albeit more blip and beat based than either of the aforementioned. "Everything Flows," in particular, impresses due to the sheer level of detail, from the breezy, infectious bass guitar riff to the ethereal vocals, tempo shifts, and intricate programmed beats. Opener "Adventures" is as hook-laden an instrumental track as any in recent memory, gradually adding a sinister post-punk bassline, live drums, and angular guitar riffs to the dueling trumpet melodies and glitch beats for a thrilling climax. The variety of styles tackled on the album is impressive and the attention to detail is such that it reveals more about itself upon every listen.