seb radix | 1977 : cd @ razorcake

For whatever reason, the name “Seb Radix” and the title 1977 had me thinking that this might be a document of some long-lost Belgian punk band—maybe I was thinking of Raxola or someone—but it’s actually the name of a contemporary French singer. Do make note. In any event, the album starts with a twenty-second instrumental that sounds like the intro riff to “Pretty Please Me” by the Quick, then tends to bounce around a bit stylistically, like a home-recorded Jazz Butcher with a punkish edge. M. Radix sings some songs in English and others en Francais—between the stylistic shifts (which, to be clear, aren’t Hootenanny level or anything like that) and the back-and-forth between English/French, I find it a little hard for this record to gain the necessary brain traction to really get into it. I think he’s at his best when he sounds like a mildly punkier Jags (“People”), but on the whole this album struggled to hold my attention despite the fact that I don’t dislike any of it. I do hold out hope that the elusive pulsebeat of this album becomes more apparent with repeated listenings, but for now I think this crepe needs a little more Nutella®.BEST SONG “People.” BEST SONG TITLE: “Mind the Bomb.” FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: This is the first record I’ve ever seen with a “remerciements” list. –Rev. Nørb (Self-released)