Aiming for Enrike – Las Napalmas (2017)

On their Bandcamp description Aiming for Enrike describe themselves as ‘genius’. Arrogant? Well, take a listen for yourself, and you might find that they’re just speaking frankly. After all, if I were to describe this album in one word it might be ‘brilliant’. If I were allowed multiple words (which I am, because I’m writing this review) I might say ‘Powerful’, ‘Intense’, ‘Psychedelic’, ‘Funky as all Hell’. For all it’s aggressive, distorted riffage, Norwegian duo Aiming for Enrike’s stunning third album ‘Las Napalmas’ never loses its playfulness. The hooks are freaky and totally fun. The guitar is transformed into another instrument entirely. There are so many crunchy and sweet layers, you could compare it to your favorite candy bar. This is especially impressive considering each song is performed live with just the two members, Tobias and Simen.

Some bands that rely heavily on loops have songs that feel as though you can hear them being constructed as they play (here’s the first loop, another riff over the first loop, and so on and so forth). AfE, however, work hard to make the looping fit seamlessly into their compositions. The looping never feels like a crutch or a gimmick. The performance and production is delightfully fresh. A good introduction to the album is the warped, fist pounding groove Marion Jones. We get Jon Theodore-esque boogie beats, percussive guitar work that is simultaneously glossy and fuzzy, and a high energy disco shuffle halfway through just when you thought it couldn’t get any bouncier. Also, if you simply can’t believe that the album was in fact recorded live with just two people, here’s a video of the album being performed in its entirety.