Rating: ****
Les Techno is enigmatic. I've reviewed quite a few pieces of his work right here on Now Hear This and I still don't really know what to expect when I press play.
Now comes the single "Ride Along" and I'm in the same predicament. What Les Techno will I get? The noise-rocker? The Nick Cave disciple? The poppy and radio-friendly version? Who really knows? What I do know is that I'm kinda excited to find out.
Lemme listen to it right now and get back to you.
Purchase "Come Along" on iTunes here.
The tune starts with some trademark Les Techno noise effects. We are into the song before too long and I gotta say, I like what I'm hearing. It's equal parts U2, Oingo Boingo, INXS, and Negativland. That might sound like a bizarre combo but it's kinda what Techno does best. This might be my favorite of his recent singles. Basically, it has everything you need in a Les Techno song. It's got noise. It's got the clever humor. It's got a good melody. It's got a catchy chorus. Come to think of it, maybe I do know what to expect when I press play.
Listen: Not everybody is gonna love this as much as I did. In fact, I'll venture to guess that some people won't like this at all. That said, I think it's a perfect blend of wildly different influences that mix together quite well. Like I said before, this is my favorite of the recent Les Techno singles and I bet if you're a little bit weird, you're gonna love it too. No promises though.