Its been a long decade since Montreal PYPY (pronounced like π π...with a long i rather than long e, thank you very much) landed with their debut Pagan Day (Slovenly), but the same lunatics behind CPC Gangbangs, Red Mass and Duchess Says are back with Sacred Times on Goner Records. One might recall the thunderous pop of their banger "Shes Gone" carving out a place for itself in the high-end fashion world, becoming the soundtrack to Yves Saint Laurent 2016 show. If that album bounced, punched and clawed like Delta 5 covered in dirt and trying to get somewhere in a booted vehicle while dodging lightning rod guitar licks the whole way, Sacred Times takes things to somewhere far beyond the proverbial "next level".
Co-vocalist/founder/multi-instrumentalist Annie-Claude Deschênes (Duchess Says) signature howl and vocal acrobatics are present but so is a tendency towards beautiful melodies. Bassist Philippe Clement (Duchess Says) brings a nastier bottom end that locks onto Simon Besré drumming with a death grip for the entire affair. And guitarist/co-vocalist Roy Vucino (Red Mass, CPC Gangbangs, Birds of Paradise, Les Sexareenos, a gazillion others) goes bonkers with wildass blown-out guitar thats like hornets caught in yr hair.
"Lonely Striped Sock" grooves along like "Earthbeat"-era Slts/ESG until the chorus transforms PyPy into something else entirely. Something huge. Something with monster riffs and wah wah that pins you to the back wall. So there is clearly a brilliance with dynamics here, and it proves to be a not-so-secret-weapon that repays the "ear-vestment" in dividends throughout. "Ear-vestment"? Yikes.
Then its time for "Shes Back", a sort of part 2/continuation (maybe a trilogy is in the works?) of Pagan Days best-known gem (the aforementioned "Shes Gone"). This one packs a hook thatll make your brain take out a restraining order. Looking for lost keys? Jury duty? Underwater welding? Negotiating a hostage situation? It doesnt matter...nothing will stop it from invading your thoughts. They say the only way to get a song unstuck from the noodle is to listen to it from start to finish, but youll be doing that anyway. A lot.
"Erase" is a (synth) noise-punk nugget; revealing a need for Brainiac-meets-Blondie we didnt know we had...deceptively kicking off with a no-fi drum machine that is immediately lost in the massive pop din that seemingly includes everything within reach.
"Poodle Escape" is two minutes of perfect (and perfectly distorted) synth-punk and "I Am A Simulation"-with lead vox from Vucino-is yet another hit that deviates from the noise a bit and pays homage to both Devo and classic late-70s (big) power-pop (ex: first Cars LP), but with a manic nature that is 150% circa right now.
"15 Sec" (actually 3:38 in duration, thankfully) serves up a stanky-brown bass line, Deschênes gorgeous vocals, wonderfully combative white hot, pin-the-meters Oh Sees/early Comets on Fire guitar rips, and a stunning coda that seems to utilize everything great about this band over its final minute.
The album title track is a love letter to Hawkwind in the musical language already established here. "Vanishing Blinds" is like being chased through the rain-soaked streets in an unknown dystopian nightmare from 40+ years ago.
The album closes with the brooding if not playful menace of "Poodle Escape", which, like every track before it, is completely unlike every track before it.
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