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Tiga | Ciao!

Last Gang (2009)
By MIKAEL WOOD  |  June 15, 2009
3.0 3.0 Stars

090619_tiga-main
This Montreal-based electro-house dude made his name with slyly straight-faced covers of Nelly's "Hot in Herre" and Corey Hart's "Sunglasses at Night," and on his second studio disc, he doesn't appear hugely concerned that his original material should sound all that original. Anyone up to date on the current dance-punk scene would have little trouble taking most of these 11 songs as outtakes from recent albums by such higher-profile acts as Soulwax, LCD Soundsystem, and Simian Mobile Disco. (In fact, Soulwax co-produced the majority of Ciao!, and LCD's James Murphy contributed to a handful of cuts.)

Fortunately, when it comes to dance-punk records, originality matters about as much as sophisticated lyrical content — which is to say, not at all. Far more important are killer bass lines, body-rocking drum beats, and synth riffs that sound imported from an eight-bit video game — key components that Tiga offers in abundance in the likes of "Sex O'Clock" and "Shoes." The latter features an argument between our headliner and a ladyfriend over whether she should let him comb her hair. How will they ever decide!?
Related: Review: Ciao, Bearstronaut | Broken Handclaps, Super 8-Bit Brothers | Brawl, More more >
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