Take a Ride on the !!! Merry-Go-Round - Oh My Rockness

Rockness Recommends

Take a Ride on the !!! Merry-Go-Round

December 21, 2004
While their long-term relevance may be questionable, it's no joke that at this moment in rock time, !!! (chik chik chik) are the #1 instant party starter. I mean, how can you not be when your completely catchy songs have lyrics telling the boys and girls to "shake that butt" and for everyone to "cut loose, cut loose." There's no melancholy in that. !!! could have as easily ended up on Jock Jams 8 instead of Touch and Go. But the indie kids love them. And yet...

Dance punk may be the new disco (it won't be here forever, maybe not even tomorrow), but it sure is good to hear when it comes on over the bar jukebox right around that fourth beer. And live, there's no doubt this stuff is entertaining. Surely audience members won't be memorizing the alphabet backwards in their head (see Low) when !!! play. And yet, (for me this band is one big "and yet"), there is something about !!! and the whole genre they propel that seems to be lacking something. I like punk. I like music with a beat. And I certainly don't need lyrical literature to appreciate a band. So what is it about !!!, who have all of these traits (throw DFA in there too), that I just can't seem to fully embrace? Maybe it's just simply a lack of heart. Just because you get us on the dance floor doesn't mean we'll remember you in our golden years when our legs are heavy and brittle. Those memories will be reserved for someone else.

So why is !!! the recommended show? Because I do recommend seeing !!! play. I do think they are good at what they do. And I do think it's absolutely worth the 14 bucks. They are fun. But then again, so was going on merry-go-rounds. And when was the last time you did that?

!!! play shows at 7:00pm and 10:30pm, Thursday, December 30th at Mercury Lounge.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!

Get new New York City announcements, free show info, ticket giveaways and more...