While the French may be renowned musically for somewhat lackadaisical lounge tendencies and pummelling electro abrasion above all, throw in a handful of Japanese post-rock enthusiasts, ship them off to Lille, and you wind up with something that sounds a little like Shiko Shiko, a troupe that'd presumably baulk and subsequently barf at such a shallow assumption. Comprised of Gilles (keys/vox/percussion), Yamaneko (guitar/keys/percussion), Rey Mistereo (bass/nondescript noises), and Arekushi (drums/samples), the multiethnic quartet have cobbled together their third EP, Ohayô, released on French label Laybell, and it's an unremitting sonic sortie that hinges on the crazed frenetics of Battles, back when Tyondai Braxton performed ringleader duties. Kegadoru kicks things off in grandiose fashion, marching drums regimenting twinkling guitars that threaten to fall off the top end of the fretboard, ahead of a Krautrock breakdown, which then in turn breaks down nervously into agitated, tremolo-picked pandemonium.
Xylophono meanwhile sounds like Battles' Gloss Drop being precipitately melted by the sheer intensity of Lightning Bolt, as what sounds like a synth losing its teeth gargles over bassed-out blurting.
Zaa Zaa is about as conventional as Ohayô ever deigns to stoop, instrumentation reminiscent of convulsive, angular Exeter noiseniks An Emergency thundering to the fore. Arekushi introduces the track by twatting the rims of his drums, before impatiently letting loose on the skins. They must tremble night after night.
Finally there's Shito Shito, a track that sounds like The Futureheads rabidly feasting on what's left of The Rapture prior to their DFA days as Wire and Zun Zun Egui observe approvingly and excitedly.
Ohayô can be downloaded in its entirety, free, here. Meanwhile, click here for their Soundcloud.
