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AT CRYSTAL PALACE
(Troubleman Unlimited)
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Erase Errata have been at the forefront of the neo-post-punk movement since 2000, displaying their affinity for wiry no-wave abandon on 2001’s Other Animals, as well as on a handful of seven-inches and compilation appearances. On their second album, the San Francisco quartet continue to distill angular Gang of Four guitars, muscular drums, and rudimentary funk bass into taut, two-minutes-or-less dance numbers. "Owls" and "The White Horse Is Bucking" sport mohawk-spiked riffs and sandpaper-rough rhythms from guitarist Sara (no last names, please); Ellie’s deep, funky bass drives "A Thief Detests the Criminal, Elements of the Ruling Class." Singer Jenny smoothes out Palace’s rough edges with her tuneful vocals, especially on "Thief" and "Flippy Flop," though she too catches the avant-rock bug on "Ca. Viewing," to which she supplies strangulated trumpet bleats. A few modern touches update Erase Errata’s retro-leaning æsthetic: the patchwork backmasking that ends "Surprise, It’s Easter" takes its cue from their collaborations with electro cut-ups Matmos and Kid 606 on the recent remix EP Dancing Machine, and the lo-fi abstraction "Matter No Medley" sounds heavily influenced by Sonic Youth, with whom they released a split seven-inch earlier this year.
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