Crash Normal are in the midst of their pilgrimage through the West Coast this weekend making a stop tonight in Davis, California and finding themselves in Portland, Oregon next Wednesday. There's no doubt the Parisian trio have been kicking their mash-up of drum-machine, compu-fuzz and rudimentary rock'n'roll at the ears of anyone paying attention to the Francocentric Glue Wave for quite a few years now. After all, when many of us were wallowing in the mires of "garage rock," Crash Normal was smashing the old axioms of modern DIY music. As they stood over the proverbial dead canary of the fusty echoes of their contemporaries, they ushered in a fresh template for legions of bands to follow. Just as their roots can be heard in the bowels of the French underground with bands like Metal Urbain, Proroky and Spotch Forcey, Crash Normal's cool tempo drudgery serves as the missing link between the former and modern stateside acts such as Bad Party and Wizzard Sleeve. Their songs incorporate elements from No-Wave and Industrial music layering fuzz beats over modulating bass that reverberates like a seismic overture, and their balls are scruffy enough to pull off a sound akin to House music. You can pick up their split 7" EP with Cheveu from Rococo Records right here.
Unfortunately, Sic Alps had to cancel their slot on the bill with Crash Normal tonight in Davis, California and will be postponing their US tour altogether. One of the members, Matt Hartman (also of The Coachwhips) was involved in a bicycle accident last week that resulted in a broken wrist. With the release of A Long Way Around to a Shortcut on Animal Disguise just around the corner, and another LP later this summer on Siltbreeze, there's no real sign of these guys slowing down.
Mayyors, a new Sacramento outfit featuring Chris Woodhouse of the late FM Knives, are set to play. Though their sound is as far from the blazing pop heroics of FM Knives, Mayyors fit right in line with Crash Normal.
