!!! (Chk Chk Chk)

!!! specializes in rocked-out disco-punk that clatters with skewed horns and ambling guitar effects, and unsurprisingly, that sound can be tough to translate from the stage to the studio. The 2007 album Myth Takes came close to living up to the band’s live shows and best singles, and the group largely holds its stride on 2010’s Strange Weather, Isn’t It?, a 40-minute celebration of rhythm, movement, and macking. Opener “AM/FM” sounds like a halfway point between The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?” and Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed And Painless,” and many songs feature club-friendly mixes that pay homage to the mid-’80s single boom. The record sags in the second half, but on the whole !!! has created another seductive album that should really come to life in a live setting.

Updated 08/17/2011