Persil |
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The first time I played Duotone, I was standing on the station platform in Delft and fighting my Discman, wondering why exactly it would only play one second of noise as track one. Eventually I let it go upon the realization that ‘(in)’ really is nothing more than that initial build-up of sound, and that my CD player wasn’t actually broken. So when ‘Fuzzy Monday’ kicked in next, the music of Persil began to make much more sense.
Vocally the song sounds like a less-sugary version of Belly before Tanya Donelly lost the plot, except instead of being backed by guitars and delay pedals, Persil make use of fuzzy bass, quirky beats, flying flangers, and squelchy synth sounds. There’s a lot going on for a simple pop song, and it tramples all over the elevator muzak of Electrelane.
The laptop-electro-pop of Persil isn’t such a straightforward ride into easy listening, though. On ‘Music’, discordant electronic bass notes land home, before crushing samples erupt out of nowhere to twist the song into knots, virtually molesting the innocent vocals of Martine that have been floating throughout on a different plain. Then ‘Snakes and Ladders’ succeeds in starting off like a traditional rock song, with some bass and drums almost reminiscent of The Breeders. As it continues, there is no escape from the layers of sound expanding out towards you, though. It’s not particularly subtle and the result is a barrage of noises all vying for your aural attention, but when the chorus finally arrives, it’s worth the battle.
By the middle of the album, Persil have already converted all their potential into results. From the ping-pong bass of ‘Agony Aunt’, to the delicious pop melodies and fun bursts of noise, which ‘Traces of Knots’ consist of, and the pulsing beats and sweet choruses of ‘New Zong’, which transports your mind onto a Japanese bullet train with a strange oriental world flying past the window.
Even when they take a secretly lurking ballad laden with delicate cello, as is ‘Balloon Man’, they then plaster it with storming drum and bass loops. There is no hint of conformity and no warning signs for your ears to prepare for what will happen next. But it is this which makes Duotone so interesting. Every track is loaded up with new sounds and ideas, and anything goes in their imagination. It’s unpredictable and challenging, but it has plenty of melodic hooks to keep you coming back, as well as the intrigue of just trying to figure out what the hell Persil are doing.
Steven McCarron
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