Listening to Holy Fuck can be confusing. It sounds like so much other music you’ve heard but something’s missing. That is because this Toronto band’s ethos is to make electronic-based music without the techniques that laptops could afford them such as looping, backing tracks, programming. They’ll employ all manner of lo-fi instruments to get the sound they want.
Despite their rubbish name and this seemingly limited ethos, they have made an exhilarating album in LP, which is the my standout album of the last month or so. Kicking it off with a recorded live track, you get the impression that Holy Fuck excel more live than on record but that doesn’t stop them coming up with some serious dance grooves.
October’s Podcast tune “Lovely Allen” has been knocking around a while but deserves another mention, due to Final Fantasy’s strings on the track. At times they sound like no other band going, other times they sound like !!!,all free-form and funky. “Royal Gregory” stands out for me as being the closest the album comes to a dance track that could be dropped in a club. Absolutely essential.
MP3
[audio:https://nialler9.com/mp3/Holy_Fuck_-_Royal_Gregory.mp3] [audio:https://nialler9.com/mp3/Holy_Fuck_-_Milkshake.mp3]
Buy from Amazon UK: CD | Vinyl
Holy Fuck – MySpace | Official
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
It took a few listens for me to really get into this record.
Now I fucking love it.
Can’t stop listening to the Neon Neon EP (Gruff Rhys & Boom Bip’s little project) at the minute though.
such a great record.
Yeh Neon Neon absolutely rules
really love the live vid of ‘pulse’ on their myspace
reminds me a bit of Death in Vegas
It’s one of my favorite albums of the 2000s
~Dan
http://jazzsick.wordpress.com/