Mahjongg thrills, trills, and hits notes that only canines comprehend.
Mahjongg employs equal opportunity in their invincible desire to thwart
and impress density; fun-avatar vs. political rabble-rouser, they make music
for the whole world. Imagine a triangle with several smaller triangles
attached to each of its sides, and even smaller triangles attached to each
of those, and so on. In math, we call this a Koch snowflake. Why not do
the same in music? Use musical notes, adding smaller notes within each
one, and smaller ones within those, and so on. Or go the other way, and
start with a small pattern and build it up to larger and larger structures.
This is what Mahjongg does for you.
With The Long Shadow of the Paper Tiger [KLP219], Mahjongg will rule 2010.
This album is the shit. Besides being pioneering members of the most
fucked up awesome weird dance music scene Chicago has seen in
decades, these are some nice dudes. They've invented a new style of
music they call Chicagotronics: a wall of sound command center with
drums and humans. They sing together and dance all crazy and there's
this laser going. It's great.
These days they may be fodder for tabloid writers and late-night comics,
but way back in the day Mahjongg ruled the charts. This new release
offers evidence of why, for better or worse, Mahjongg's popular
Chicagotronic styling's set the standard for underground music. The Long
Shadow of the Paper Tiger is the pinnacle so far of Mahjongg's four
albums, and you get all the facets of their platinum-plus sound.
Mahjongg is basically a bar band who got lucky. Their previous album
Kontpab announced a big noise in the music scene of 2008. The Long
Shadow of the Paper Tiger features their first protest song (''Grooverider
Free''), which is actually an extended version of a previous single (Pun alert:
''Free Grooverider''). Following a closing gurgle-sax on ''Gooble,'' comes
''Miami Knights'' where our dance detectives take that smooth boat
through choppy waters. The album continues with layers of keyboards,
guitars, and percussion parts that wind around each other almost like a
fugue -- an intrinsic groove that rarely fails to amaze and inspire.
Mahjongg will embark on a nationwide tour in July. Dentistry, blended with
pill-popping polyrhythmic geometry. No one with ears will listen and be
depressed.
Tracklist
1. Gooble
(with Mbulu & Robert Conn)
2. Miami Knights
(with Suddenly Susan & Jeanine O' Toole)
3. Grooverider Free
(with Rotten Milk)
4. Wardance
5. DeVry
(with the Unauthorized Terrance Duke)
6. Whoop
(with Tom Tom Tom Boy & Clint Crane)
7. LA Beat
(YO YO DYNE)