Les Georges Leningrad - Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou
(Alien 8)
Stately scholars of no-wave, with a wacky streak, Les Georges Leningrad are on to something here—Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou is a cracking record. And while their influences are obvious, a series of tricks and twists and utter respect for the spirit of early no-wavers and free-jazzers give off an innovative sound. Let's just say that Les Georges Leningrad's DNA is of the Arto Lindsay brand, but blended with enough froggy DNA to make a jurrasic beast of a record.
The first trick comes from the knob table. Voices are muffled, sound levels are often well out of whack, and samples are twisted around the already twisted songs. The second trick is of surprise, exemplified by the distorted snarl that comes mid-way through the otherwise relatively sedate "La Chienne." The result is a fresh journey down a not so well trodden path.
Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou has its ups and downs, not of quality, but of velocity. "George V" pulsates with repetitive bass, keyboard blasts, and squealing vocals repeating "George 5!" until meltdown. "Wunderkind," another stand out track, plays to a tick-tocking beat along with nearly indecipherable vocals. Although seemingly loose and improvisational at first, everything melds together nicely, with each step calculated to feed into the cohesion. Or have I got it all wrong?
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