If someone was to give you some sound equipment, a day pass ticket to the circus and a stick of candyfloss laced with acid, and told you to go and record an LP, your end product would probably sound exactly like the fourth studio album from Berlin duo Toktok, ‘Bullet In The Head’.
Toktok’s unique sound has been shaped from 16 years of production and live performances, which has seen them constantly focussing on injecting fun in to a scene that can often get bogged down in pretension and self-importance. ‘Bullet In The Head’ has a sense of humour throughout, but without divulging in to some kind of novelty, ill thought-out record; the tracks all have a bouncy, psychedelic quality with reflections of the mid-90’s rave scene from which Toktok first emerged, but this basis has been built upon with an array of different influences and styles, from industrial to polka to breakbeat. The duo have clearly learned how to keep a listener entertained through years of live improvisation – they’ve been known to jam wildly for up to 24 hours at some parties – and are more than capable of harvesting the energy of these live performances and channelling it in to their studio work.
Just as the cover art shows a smiling rubber duck being shot in the head, the tracks on the album often have a jaunty, childish element that’s underpinned by darker aspects. ’12:34 PM’ and ‘Jack MD’, for example, have upbeat, carnivalesque tunes that are contrasted with grinding electronic backing to make them sound like a soundtrack to a nightmarish children’s book about a creepy fairground. The small snippets of voice that are present on the album also reflect the light/ dark nature of Toktok’s sound; ‘Tripping Unit’ contains an extract of Johnny Depp’s account of the drugs binge that the two characters undertake in ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, while ‘Dr. Strangelove’ samples the darkly comedic Kubrick film of the same name. Elsewhere, the 18 tracks on ‘Bullet In The Head’ are all generally strong, and, what with the sense of humour that underlies the record and the levels of experimentation throughout, this album is definitely worth a listen.
play all
Please log in first to enter rating. If you don't have an account yet, please register.
Currently showing: Awaiting 3 votes (2)
Links
Comments (0)
