Reintegration Time

Chronique

Shout Out Out Out Out's brand of dancefloor-friendly indie rock-electro is unique in a few respects. First off, the Edmonton-based group has four bass players, one for each "Out" in their name. Secondly, they are concerned as much with melody and experimentation as they are with riling up crowded clubs full of sweaty dancers. On their second album Reintegration Time, there is as much Kraftwerk in their sound as there is Daft Punk, and it helps them stand out from the hordes of groups who share a similar aesthetic. Another thing that helps is that the band uses live drums (two drummers!), which gives the album a nice organic feel (as does the vintage Moog they use). On tracks like "Guilt Trips Sink Ships" and the very catchy "Remind Me in Dark Times," the group sound like they are working up a pretty good sweat themselves as they jam. It's hard to picture Justice or MSTRKRFT sweating over their laptops. So, if you are a fan of musicianship and authenticity, Shout Out's got plenty of each. Unfortunately, they also have a few problems. Alongside the well-structured and interesting songs, there are some formless and overlong songs (like the two-part "How Do I Maintain") that wear out their welcome as they unwind. The two collaborations don't work especially well, either; Cadence Weapon's rhymes on "Coming Home" are less than great and he sounds uncomfortably wedged into a song that had no extra space for vocals, San Serac's overwrought singing on "One Plus Two Plus Three" also does the song no favors. Nor does the reliance on vocoder vocals throughout. It feels like a gimmick that they don't need, there is enough melody in the synth lines to keep things moving along nicely, why foul things up with any vocals at all, much less hokey vocodered ones? It all adds up to a good but frustrating album of really solid highs and really annoying lows.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo