The Parisian outfit, Crash Normal recently released a blitz of material worthy of your scattered attention. A split single with their aural cronies The Intelligence on Compost Modern Art and another, the Unrealistic Tracks single on the same label, their Flying to NY single on Plastic Idol Records and a 10" titled Finger Shower on the Italian label, Rijapov Records. On their Finger Shower EP, Crash Normal lays out their metronomic, mechanical rhythms in a six song bender that reveals their strong motif of grim, futuristic, yet primitive songs that seem to be an amalgamation of their past work, as they delved brilliantly in both the electronic landscapes and their more straightforward rock'n'roll.
As a band who, throughout the past decade, seemed to dodge any familiar description by taking their music to broader pastures and simultaneously reinventing the idea of a modern DIY sound, they incorporated synth-driven material along side traditional instrumentation not only from release to release, but often within the same album, most notably on their Heavy Music LP from a few years back. By showing us (much like the early No-Wave, and Post punk bands of the late 70s did) that the tools of the DIY form sprout upward as technology treks onward, Crash Normal were early adopters of melding the old and the new in such a fresh way. So much so that the very idea of coagulating both electro-tinged musings and shaking the fruit far enough from the proverbial Chuck Berry tree, that it's barely recognizable, and any goof lazy enough to dub these French cats "garage," is just not paying attention.
On the A-side, Crash Normal start off the title track with a building and falling beat that's reminiscent of the late-90s roboto-doom contingent of the early A-Frames and The Intelligence material, but throw in their own cog by spinning in their own mark. Then, by adopting a talking-styled vocal, as the next track "Bikinis Invaders" comes in and serves as the perfect bridge to their cover of The County Teasers' "Hair Wine 2," where they ape Ben Wallers' British inflections, but pull back without landing too close to the original.
The B-side starts off with the song "Chrome Cranks" that, whether or not it's a nod to the murky blues monkeys of the mid-90s by the same name, it carries the same slow and swampy poke at the post-modern blues formula with out losing their footing. By the time "Bad Way to Get Fun" rolls around, Crash Normal are back fully on their space wagon, kicking out a tune that fully celebrates their unique take where modern underground recording styles have taken us over the past 30 plus years, and shows they're not too cool to integrate more computer-driven synth into their sounds.
Don't lose out and pick up the Finger Shower EP directly from Rijapov Records here, or you can get it domestically at Goner Records here.
