Bleep

!!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk) are stalwarts of Warp’s second generation of artists, characterised by an open and inquisitive approach, and ‘Thr!!!ler’ was an excellent return to the label, offering nine tracks of infectious funk from the trio with an added R&B influence. ‘Calforniyeah’ betrays the influence of producer and Spoons member Jim Eno in its deadly clap, cowbell and slap bass patterns, which one would be hard pushed to not move to. There’s an equally sassy vocal delivery to ‘Except Death’, which recalls LCD Soundsystem or Talking Heads in its use of freakishly infectious falsettos and low drawls.

The album impresses most at its most extreme, with ‘Careful’ commanding through a sleek and sharp definition of all elements but a lugubrious vocal, while ‘Station (Meet Me At The)’ makes the template distorted and raucous in a manner which almost recalls recent Shit & Shine recordings. ‘Thr!!!ler’ undoubtedly makes for a persuasive and downright funky listen, which will please dancefloors as much as a conventional gigging audience. Take ‘Slyd’, which pulls taunting chopped and screwed vocals samples over endlessly energised percussion, or ‘One Girl/One Boy’, an irreverent resurrection of disco music at its most brazen and effective. Overall, !!! have constructed a precisely focused record which nonetheless isn’t stifled by detail and has an irresistible sense of groove.