Relative newcomers to the scene in Montreal TangoCharlie have cobbled together members of now defunct electro-punk band The Cougarettes , Mathias Mental and David and the Woods ’ guitar wizard, Jerome Deroo .
Just a tick on the “fi” side of lo-fi bedroom beats, the songs weave a dark and seedy path through the various stages of urban concern and pathos. Liberally cribbing from 80s synth pop, the groove cuts through an off-kilter and unpolished version of strutting electro funk set in a loosely structured pop song format. Like the finer moments of The Pet Shop Boys but with more earnestness. On close inspection the lyrics betray a dark cynicism with the club culture concerns like druggy escape fantasies, addiction, and other personal hell-scapes of the first world. After coke references in the first half of the album, I guess I’ll take “Let It Snow” as clearly not a Christmas song.. sure enough we’re plunged into this dystopian world of intense antipathy and substance binging, chunked to great contrast to an undeniably hook filled bomb track whose opening bass line owns endlessly. Other songs just creep up on you and surprise with the easy going psych side that tempers the poppyness like “Long Road”, which ties in these elements with the most success.
Hooks abound through this debut, as do the chimeric palette of tones used by all instruments, it’s really a good record, perfect for pre club excitement (PSA vibe notwithstanding in some of the lyrics!) or some long, nocturnal drives.
