It's hard to believe that is was only last year Leeds, UK's Hadouken! exploded onto the scene with their debut single, That Boy That Girl. Released via their own Surface Noise Recordings imprint, the song (and it's equally excellent b-side, Tuning In) introduced the band's unique blend of rave synths, rapped vocals, killer beats and punk guitars, quickly propelling them into the spotlight and generating some much-deserved hype. With it's unbeatabley bouncy synths, impossibly high energy and stereotypical indie kid-skewering lyrics, That Boy That Girl became a stand-out track of 2007 for many, and marked Hadouken! as a band to watch out for. (It also caused them to become the first artist in my iTunes to be classified under "genre" as "Grimey Electro-Indie-Rave".)
Hadouken! didn't let up and, after releasing a mixtape and another two singles, on May 5 they dropped the masterpiece of an album that is Music For An Accelerated Culture. Danceable; intelligent; blunt; nuanced; thoughtful; emotional; unique; I can't adequately describe the scope of the album (a string of adjectives seperated by semi-colons seems to be the best I can do). Everything that Hadouken! had demostrated in the past was clearly still present, but multiplied by 1000 and cranked up to 11. When I first got my hands on it, I was blown away, quite simply. The production, aided on three tracks by Jacknife Lee, was immaculate, providing new illumination to the band's already broad sonic palette. There was more singing, with lyrics that covered a broad range of topics from partying to love to partying to fiscal trouble to heartbreak to more partying, frontman James Smith always providing a unique insight into humanity and personal relationships. Hadouken! are clearly an amazing talent, and I can't even imagine what they have in store for us next.
Hadouken! - That Boy That Girl (zShare)
Hadouken! - Declaration Of War (zShare)
Hadouken! official site
Buy Music For An Accelerated Culture: Standard or Deluxe Edition CD / iTunes
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