Audio By Carbonatix
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If the theme of 2006’s party is art damage, then Test Icicles–originally called Balls, in case you’ve missed the sketchy wordplay–provide the soundtrack. But party rock was once about partying, while this might not be about anything. To wit, the Icicles’ declaration “Yeah yeah, bitches don’t own me/I sold my soul and stuck my tongue in a hard drive” isn’t quite in harmony with the Beasties’ “You wake up late for school, man, you don’t wanna go.” Whatever these lyrics mean, they say a lot less than the sound itself: a fizz of bratty vocals, surgical guitars, and blaring noise and electronics that deserves to be turned up and complemented by beer. To its credit, this English trio has found a way to make art rock that doesn’t take itself seriously, but this debut is full of the dance-y rhythms and decadent-sounding non sequiturs of the moment. Just don’t expect For Screening Purposes Only tracks to mingle with License to Ill jams on party mixes circa 2016.
