Chicagojazzen - Misantropi För Nybörjare (Irrlicht, 2010)

Chicagojazzen - Bränn Ner Jörn


The Swedish dude who put out that sweet Brachiosaurus tape on Native Parts last year is back with his debut vinyl slab on Irrlicht. If you loved that tape, then you're really gonna love Misantropi För Nybörjare. And if you're new to the whole Chicagojazzen thing, let me introduce you.

I think the heart of this music is in pop, although it takes many strange routes and uses some irregular means in getting there. The best comparison might be if A Faulty Chromosome and Madagascar joined teams to make a blown out beat heavy pop folk record.

The artsy collaborative feeling found on Brachiosaurus is still in full force here. Tons of instruments, all the usuals plus melodica, xylophone, some electronics shit, and who knows what else, making sweet drone lullabies, waltzy carnival tunes, and weirdo basement dance jams.

And then there's the black metal influence. Yup, this guy is all over the fucking place and it's awesome. "Bränn Ner Jörn" is a perfect example of the bizarro fucked sounds from Misantropi. It's totally in the red, thick with a hundred layers of nondescript buzzing & tweaking making a mostly danceable song with scratchy roaring demon vocals.

There's no way to really peg this record without omitting a dozen plus elements. Every song is its own mini-album, and the record as a whole speaks for itself. There's no use trying to translate it or help finish its sentences. It's a wild beast. And you know not to fuck with those things.