That’s better. Sometimes, you just need an ironically named Swiss rock duo to blast a new hole through cold and dismal days.
Luc Hess and Jona Nido, who formed Closet Disco Queen “as a joke” in 2014, have musical sophistication on their side. The sound is so robust and immense here, thanks to massive studio overdubs, as they were bored of being a duo, and have often played live with extra members (aka The Flying Raclettes) notably during the pile-driving album Omelette du Fromage. They seem hard to pin down, endlessly changing, and so it is with Stadium Rock…
Sure, they’re not rewriting the rules, a la Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs or Sunn 0))) who operate in more experimental doom and drone territories, but this EP has enough variety in terms of pace and textures to satisfy.
Opener Michel-Jacques Sonne (geddit?!) has impressive 80s-inspired fretwork, but often shifts in tempo, so it never strays into parody. Not for them, the perma-gurning of more earnest rock acts.
Even more interesting is Pascal a la Plage, peppered with choppy, playful percussion and layers. It points to a more improvisational and immediate approach, which has that one-take live energy. That’s always nicer to hear than something polished and buffed to the point of losing a little soul.
Lalalalala Reverb takes it all down a notch, a more low-key minimalist mood for contemplative moments of introspection.
All in all, Stadium Rock… may not convert the pop masses, but what do they know anyway? They don’t deserve such virtuosity.